Canadian Open finalist Karen Khachanov has weighed in on the harassment faced by tennis players by bettors, days after Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina revealed she has been the subject of significant abuse.
What Karen Khachanov Has Said on Online Abuse From Bettors
Khachanov, in an interaction with the press, was asked about the online abuse that Svitolina received from frustrated gamblers. The Russian said that he had not seen tennis bodies, such as the ATP, taking any action against online abuse directed at players.
“I didn’t see any movement, actually, that they did something,” the Russian said. “I don’t know how you can get yourself protected.”
Khachanov went on to advise players to steer clear of social media, as it had helped him “a lot.”
He said, “I would say just not to go on social media. I tried it, and actually it helped me a lot. To be honest, last year, I mean for half year, I didn’t even go to any social media.
“And I tell you, the life felt good. Because you can see a lot of things outside, you can spend your time in a different way.”
The Russian player also warned against the adverse effects of becoming addicted to social media.
“You get addicted a lot, you know, always scrolling, whatever. So, yeah, it’s up to anyone if they can do something about it,” he said.
“Before, people could read something only in newspaper, printed newspaper. So even somebody could tell you something on the street that you could respond and that’s it, or not even responding, right?”
Khachanov added, “Now, anyone can write anything they want, from fake accounts or whatever, just to kind of, yeah, piss you off or whatever, just get inside your head. But this is what they are trying to do.”
The Russian saved a match point to earn a gritty 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4) victory over top seed Alexander Zverev Wednesday night to reach the final of the National Bank Open in Toronto. He will face an in-form Ben Shelton, who blitzed Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-3 to muscle his way into his first ATP Masters 1000 final.
Read More: Ben Shelton vs. Karen Khachanov Preview: Head-to-Head and Prediction for Canadian Open 2025
Khachanov last made a final of a Masters 1000 tournament in 2018, when he defeated Novak Djokovic 7–5, 6–4 to clinch the trophy.
Elina Svitolina Has Revealed Vile Threats She Has Received From Angry Bettors
Svitolina, who lost to a resurgent Naomi Osaka in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open, recently revealed some vile messages that she purportedly received from abusive bettors.
“To all the bettors: I’m a mom before I’m an athlete,” Svitolina wrote on Instagram. “The way you talk to women – to mothers – is SHAMEFUL. If your moms saw your messages, they’d be disgusted.”
Elina Svitolina showed the abusive & horrific messages she received from bettors after her loss to Naomi Osaka in Montreal.
Her response to them:
“To all the bettors: I’m a mom before I’m an athlete. The way you talk to women – to mothers – is SHAMEFUL. If your moms saw your… pic.twitter.com/nG7jA87Bw3
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 6, 2025
One user sent death threats with violent language, while others referenced Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia in the threats.
Online harassment from bettors is a serious problem in tennis, and the French Open now uses AI software to filter abuse on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X.
