'These people should stop and think' - Iga Swiatek calls on online trolls to stop abusing athletes

Iga Swiatek has urged online trolls to stop and think before aiming abuse at athletes. The Pole has arrived at Roland-Garros as the overwhelming favourite for the French Open after a stunning run of form that has brought her a string of titles so far in 2022. Ad/> While currently riding the crest of a wave, Swiatek knows form can turn and feels followers of sport should rein in criticism.

/> Roland-Garros'Lively start' — Juvan with stunning backhand winner to open match with Badosa31 MINUTES AGO Swiatek suggested some of the hate is motivated by money from lost bets, but said that is not an excuse for sending abusive messages. “Recently I played against Andreea Prisacariu in Poland's Billie Jean King Cup match with Romania and I am aware that she said afterwards she had received bad messages because she lost,” Swiatek wrote in her column for BBC Sport. “I don't know exactly what happened in this instance but I know hate is there and that it's a serious issue which needs addressing.

“It is tough to do something about it, particularly as an athlete, because you don't have control of what people write. “Many times this is a person who is betting and lost money — this seems to be a 'reason' for some of the abuse — but they should be aware that many of these messages are actually read. “They have a bad impact and it's not helpful.