- Tennis player Sloane Stephens said she received hate messages after her US Open defeat.
- Stephens, 28, shared screenshots of the messages to her Instagram Stories.
- On Friday, Stephens lost in the third round to Germany’s Angelique Kerber.
Sloane Stephens said she received more than 2,000 hate messages after losing Germany’s Angelique Kerber at the US Open.
Following her third-round loss on Friday, Stephens uploaded screenshots to her Instagram Stories to show her 522,000 followers the spiteful messages she had received afterward, CNN reported.
“I am human, after last night’s match I got 2K + messages of abuse/anger from people upset by yesterday’s result. It’s so hard to read messages like these, but I’ll post a few so you guys can see what it’s like after a loss…,” Stephens wrote, the outlet reported.
CNN reported that one message read: “I promise to find you and destroy your leg so hard that you can’t walk anymore @sloanestephens! Fixer and corruption like you must be ban forever in jail! I hope you enjoyed your last moments on court today.”
Photos of the screenshots were shared to social media, where many of them included racist and offensive language.
Stephens, 28, wrote that the hate was “so exhausting” and “never ending.”
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“This isn’t talked about enough, but it freaking sucks,” she added, CNN reported.
However, Stephens finished her Instagram Stories on a positive note and said she’s “choosing positive vibes over negative ones.”
“I’m happy to have people in my corner who support me. I’m choosing positive vibes over negative ones. I choose to show you guys happiness on here, but it’s not always smiles and roses,” Stephens wrote.
Although Stephens’ current run in the US Open came to an end, she snagged the championship title in 2017 in an unexpected victory.