Australian tennis ace Ajla Tomljanovic speaks out on ‘disgusting and scary’ online abuse
Three-time grand slam quarter-finalist competing in Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open says she has had ‘death wished on my family’
Ajla Tomljanovic has revealed she receives “disgusting and scary” online abuse every day, and that social media companies have dismissed her complaints.
The Australian said she tried not to read the messages, but succumbed in “moments when I want to torture myself”.
Tomljanovic, a three-time grand slam quarter-finalist, is set for a Prudential Hong Kong Open second-round clash with seventh-seeded Sorana Cirstea of Romania.
The 32-year-old, who has had “death wished on my family” by anonymous correspondents, was talking four months after British player Katie Boulter said she was regularly subjected to online threats and insults.
“It’s horrible, I don’t know how someone can write the things we receive,” Tomljanovic told the Post. “It’s daily, when we’re not even playing.
“It’s been going on since social media came into our lives. It’s really disgusting. I’m more worried for the younger generation. It came into my life in my early 20s; I can’t imagine going through that when you’re becoming a young adult. It’s scary.”