PARIS | For the first time during a Grand Slam tournament, a tool to combat harassment and intimidation on social networks has been made available to Roland-Garros players.
• Also read: Leylah Annie Fernandez can’t write a side of history
• Also read: Roland-Garros: What did Taylor say to Leylah at the end of the final?
• Also read: Iga Swiatek was crowned for the third time at Roland-Garros
The French Tennis Federation has partnered with the Bodyguard application, which uses artificial intelligence to have a moderator on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Every day, athletes are confronted with hateful and discriminatory language online.
“It happens all the time,” Quebec native Leylah Annie Fernandez confirmed in an interview with Le Journal. The first time I saw a mean message was 13 years old. It was a shock. But I started laughing about it because people don’t know me and I don’t know them. I don’t like to see news like this, especially when it comes to my family, but it’s part of the sport. I grew up with it.
proximity to the public
Her doubles partner Taylor Townsend often reads racist or negative comments about her weight.
“Win or lose, there is always something. It happens all the time and you have to have strong nerves, she told the Journal. In tennis it is easier to have access to the players, there is closeness. In other sports, such as basketball, players go to the locker room after the game and exit the arena through a back door. We go public.”
For Townsend’s American compatriot Sloane Stephens, racial slurs have been an issue since the beginning of her career.
“When there’s an FBI investigation into this, it’s inevitable that it’s going to pick up steam, that it’s going to get serious,” said the Roland-Garros knockout recently. I’ve dealt with it my whole life and unfortunately I know I have to deal with it my whole life. People seem to have no control online and are completely free to write whatever they want.”
“It can destroy us”
Bianca Andreescu was already using the application because she was struggling with mental health problems, mainly because of social networks, but now she believes that she is equipped to browse the Internet safely.
“I think in a way it’s a good idea because there’s really a lot of negative feedback, especially around sports betting,” the Ontarian said. But you have to be prepared for the real world, because in life there is love and hate. I think it’s a good start, especially for young players because it can destroy us like it did for me in 2021. I read the comments all the time. Even if you don’t want to read them, it’s stronger than you.”
Instagram screenshot charlottersd
2023. Screenshot from charlottersd’s Instagram account.
Bettors who lose money sometimes get their revenge on the players, and that’s a pressure that Brit Rebecca Marino, who even took a break from tennis for almost five years, has had to put up with.
“I think that’s a very cool idea [l’application]. It can really help us because players can get a lot of negative messages and it takes time to go through it all by yourself,” Marino said.
Trust the technology
Like most of the players Le Journal spoke to over the two weeks in Paris, Townsend has not downloaded the application as he believes the decision is up to each individual.
“It depends on how you already manage your social networks and how you manage your personal life. “Personally, I have private and public accounts,” she said. So you have to be able to let the artificial intelligence work. There’s always a fine line when it comes to technology. Will artificial intelligence outperform me? But it’s an opportunity to check if it can help us and if we want to continue the adventure afterwards. Some athletes don’t have control over their social networks or don’t visit them often. It has to be a personal choice.
The other side of the war
As for Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, she has to live with the messages about the invasion of Ukraine by her country-backed Russia.
“It was very difficult. When it all started, I received a lot of hate messages, she told the media. But I expected that. I try to ignore the negative side of social media. I focus on people who really care about my Life, my career and my personality are of interest There will always be many people who hate you, but many people will love you.
The second player in the world claims that social networks allow people to meet the real Aryna.
“I use them to show a different side of my personality, not always the aggressive Aryna. Sometimes people have to think: “She’s crazy!” Then they will see my publications and say: “No, finally she’s not that crazy!”.