The advent of social media has allowed fans more access to their favorite athletes and celebrities. However, several abuse this privilege by sending hateful and disgusting messages to certain public figures, as evident by messages received by tennis player Jessica Pegula after her exit at the 2025 French Open.
The American fell to breakout French star Lois Boisson in the Roland Garros round of 16, squandering a first set lead to lose in three sets. Although Boisson played the match of her life, the 22-year old was also bolstered by the support of her home crowd who spurred her on through the match.
Known for her love of pets, Pegula often posts pictures of her dogs on social media. However, the former World No.2 took to Instagram to announce the death of one of her dogs, Tucker, who passed away a few days prior to the start of the French Open. This unfortunate incident occurred less than two years after the death of Dex, her other dog.
"Unfortunately on Tuesday we lost Tucker in just under a few hours - out of nowhere. My heart is filled with so much sadness. I didn’t even want to post this but everyone knows how my dogs are a huge part of my life. If someone were to ask me how the pups were doing back home I’d burst into tears. We love you and miss you so much. Not even 2 years since we lost Dex. I hope you’re with your favorite brother in doggie heaven," wrote Pegula on Instagram.
However, instead of receiving condolences, the 2024 US Open finalist was barraged with hateful and disturbing messages after her loss to Boisson on Monday. After being bombarded with numerous messages, Pegula had apparently had enough and posted several of them in her Instagram Stories.
"Tucker wants to know why you can't hit the ball straight," wrote a distasteful user.
"Tucker is better off without this loser," wrote another user.
"Somewhere in the world, there is a tree that's working really hard to produce the oxygen that you waste," another comment read.
"Just quit playing tennis and enjoy your father's money. You are the most useless top 10 player ever," said another user.
Pegula chimed in on the vile comments, stating sports bettors were responsible and revealed it was a regular occurrence with other players on tour.
"Every person on tour deals with it," wrote the Buffalo native. "It's so bad, these are just really small snippets. I get told my family should get caner and die from people on here on a regular basis. Absolutely crazy."
A calf injury suffered last summer led to an extended absence for Texans linebacker Christian Harris. After returning to the field in time for the final five combined regular and postseason games of the 2024 campaign, an ankle injury cost ...
The San Francisco 49ers had a rough season in 2024, finishing with in fourth place in the NFC West with a 6-11 record. Their .353 winning percentage was their worst since 2018 when they went 4-12 (.250), which somehow still ...
Washington's offensive line figures to provide some intriguing depth chart battles. Of all the changes the Washington Commanders made to their roster during the offseason, no unit will look more different than the offensive line. First, Washington made a blockbuster trade to acquire five-time ...
Position changes aren't easy in football. They're even tougher at the NFL level. For Trevor Penning, he is taking a swap in positions in stride for the New Orleans Saints. Trevor Penning embracing position change on OL The young offensive lineman has ...
Denver Broncos’ DJ Jones is the run-stopping defensive tackle needed in the middle of the defense. In March 2022, Jones signed a three-year contract with the Broncos. Since then, he has been an integral part of the Broncos’ defense, starting ...