Those energetic grunts during the game as shots are exchanged, frustrated sighs, winning howls, and tears. These are regular happenings on the tennis court as much as sports are about grit, hard work, determination, and winning. It is equally about the emotions showcased throughout the journey. However, things get intense when tennis stars have another source that affects their emotional and mental health: social media. Every athlete has their own way of dealing with it. But how does Paula Badosa tackle the negativity emanating from the platforms?

In the season of the Paris Olympics, Badosa is enjoying tennis at the Citi Open. And while she gets ready to face Sofia Kenin as her R32 opponent, Badosa opened up about her ways to manage the negativity sprouting from social media to the Mubadala Citi DC Open presser. Badosa was questioned, “How do you manage your emotions and mental health around social media?” This comes in the backdrop of the fact that the Spaniard has a massive following of 1M on Instagram alone. And if there are lovers, there certainly are haters too.

Like every top player, Badosa too stepped into the tennis circuit quite early. And it wasn’t always a pleasant experience as she was on the receiving end of the ugly side of social media. Elaborating on the hard times, Badosa said, “I was younger and I couldn’t understand that because I was, like, why all of a sudden people are judging me, why all this? I was taking it personally.” However, that was back in time. Now she has grown more vigilant in attending to it.

After years of dealing with social media, Badosa has stopped taking this to heart. And focusing only on the positive aspect of it to pump her through, while letting go of the negativity. However, there is no running away from it. She said, “It’s part of our job. I don’t pay much attention because if I paid, imagine. I have my professional life, but I also have the personal that they talk about. If I had to pay attention to that, I wouldn’t sleep.” 

Hence, the Spaniard has relied on listening to her people. “The people that I care, that I love, that know me and can judge me. The rest don’t even know me, so it’s not a problem for me.” And she turns the social media foe into a friend. However, she is not the only one dealing with the pressure. Many tennis players received hate through both channels: online and offline!

Tennis and the depressing saga of haters: Novak Djokovic, Paula Badosa’s boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas

Back in 2023, the French Open organizers took it upon themselves to keep the online negativity in check. This came in the backdrop of WSN findings of over 16month time period, which were quite astounding, as a few tennis stars received unwarranted hateful comments more than others. The list was topped by Novak Djokovic, with one in every five tweets showcasing their dislike for the player. Followed by Badosa’s boyfriend, Stefanos Tsitsipas.

This initiative was taken to ensure positivity for the players and a step towards the mental well-being of the players. The organizers said, “As part of its strategy to take care of the players’ mental health, the FFT decided to collaborate with ‘Bodyguard’ to fight against cyberbullying.” They used AI technology, bodyguards to moderate the negative responses that players received in real time. 

Such steps are certainly the need of an hour, to protect players from the hateful environment and ensuring a safe environment in the circuit!