French Open 2025 winner Carlos Alcaraz finds social media abuse 'difficult to deal with' - 'It affected me a lot'
Updated 18/06/2025 at 12:58 GMT+1
After Katie Boulter spoke out about the hateful messages she receives on social media, Carlos Alcaraz has become the latest tennis player to share his own experiences of online abuse. The Spaniard - fresh off his French Open win - says he is constantly learning how to cope with being targeted by trolls, and admits he finds it "difficult to deal with".
'It affects me a lot' - Alcaraz opens up on 'dangerous' social media abuse
Video credit: SNTV
Carlos Alcaraz has opened up about the abuse he has received on social media channels, and admits that he finds it "difficult to deal with".
British tennis player Katie Boulter has revealed she regularly receives abusive messages and has even received death threats.
Boulter has shared some of the messages, including one which read: "Hope you get cancer".
Fellow Brit Harriet Dart has called on Instagram to introduce identity verification, in a bid to tackle the issue and hold any wrongdoers accountable.
Asked about his own experiences of online hate, Alcaraz said: "Yes, I receive it. Obviously, when you've lost, you receive a lot of messages. Some of them are pretty good, some of them are pretty bad.Â
"I learned when I lose not to see social media that much because sometimes, when I did, when I lose a match in the first round or lose a match I shouldn't have, and I saw the messages, it affected me a lot.Â
"Sometimes, it’s difficult to deal with it, so I learned with experience that when I lose or things are not going pretty good, not to see social media that much.Â
"As professional athletes, we have to deal with it the best way possible, and if I have to give advice, not to see social media when things are not going well because people sometimes can be really dangerous."
Alcaraz appreciates the positive side to social media, but admits it is "scary" to be targeted by online trolls.
"Well, we receive a lot of messages, to be honest. It's a pity to receive messages like this.Â
"Nowadays, social media is a very important instrument in the work environment and for many other things, but at the same time, it is a double-edged sword because a lot of people can reach you very easily.Â
"And when things don't go well, when you lose, especially when you lose a match you were not supposed to lose, that's when people leave their comments.Â
"Some of them are positive, because people try to cheer you up, but others are really mean.
"I am not going to talk now about any particular message that I received, but I can say that some of them were really heavy and some of them can also be scary. And that makes you think about a lot of things. And I think it is a pity."
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Alcaraz is in action at Queen’s as he continues his grass court preparation for Wimbledon.
The Spaniard faces Jaume Munar in the last 16 on Thursda yafter beating Adam Walton in his opening match.
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