Elena Rybakina has become the latest player to speak out about dealing with social media abuse after confirming she deactivated her Instagram account to prevent hateful comments.
The world No.2 made the move to pause her social media duties on the platform after suffering a shock second round loss to Katie Boulter at the HSBC Championships last week. It is the second tournament in a row that the Kazakh has failed to win back-to-back matches after also falling at the same stage at the French Open earlier this month.
Speaking to reporters ahead of her next tournament in Berlin on Monday, Rybakina explained the reasons for her social media hiatus, with the main one being related to online abuse.
“I usually don’t pay much attention (to social media), but this time it was too much. Since it’s our job, we have to post a lot. And I felt that if these people can’t stop just because I lost a match, I’d rather not give them the opportunity to comment,” Rybakina told reporters in Berlin.
According to a study conducted by Signify Group’s Threat Matrix service, 458 players were targeted with direct abuse or threats throughout the 2024 season, with five of those unnamed players receiving 26% of the total abuse identified. 77% of the direct abuse detected was linked to disgruntled gamblers.
“I don’t want to spend the whole day cleaning up my Instagram. I have people helping me, but they’re not on it all the time. I thought it would be better to stay away from social media,” Rybakina continued.
“For me, it’s fine to stay away from social media.”
The 26-year-old said her decision to pause her Instagram account was “something in the moment” and she is unsure if she will reactivate it. She currently has 906,000 followers.
Rybakina is looking to get back on track in the German capital this week, where she is the second seed behind Aryna Sabalenka. The former Wimbledon champion is scheduled to play either Alexandra Eala or Donna Vekic, who won the HSBC Championships at Queen’s on Sunday, in her opening match.
So far in her career, Rybakina has won 13 WTA titles, with her only triumph on grass being at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.
