Jack Draper hits out at online trolls 'nailing Quavers' after Katie Boulter death threats
Katie Boulter opened up on the vile online abuse she received after tennis matches.
Jack Draper has slammed online trolls after fellow British star Katie Boulter shed light on the vile abuse and death threats she received after matches. British No. 2 Boulter received one message with a user threatening to damage her “grandmother's grave” if she's not “dead by tomorrow.”
Tennis players have been open about the vile messages they receive online, often from those who have lost money betting on the result, and Draper has now claimed: “Whoever's doing that is probably sat on their mum's couch, nailing a bag of Quavers with their pants on.”
Boulter became the latest tennis star to bring attention to the horrific social media abuse players receive. One told her: “Hope you get cancer” while another message read: “Go to hell, I lost money my mother sent me.”
In a candid interview with the BBC, the world No. 39 explained: “As far as death threats, it's just not something you want to be reading straight after an emotional loss. A lot of the time you get it after you win as well.”
Boulter’s fiance, ATP No. 12 Alex de Minaur, has since commended her for speaking up and confirmed that every athlete faced the same problem.
And Draper has now had his say, suggesting things could get even tougher for younger players who have never known a world without social networks.
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After beating Jenson Brooksby to win his opening match at Queen’s, the world No. 6 said: “Yeah, it's not good. I think Katie is right. I saw her interview.
“I think she's correct in what she's saying about future generations. I think we're lucky enough to maybe have grown up into social media, whereas, you know, the generation coming up are growing up with it.
“So they know nothing different. I think it's so easy to spread online hate. It's not easy, especially, I think she said, when you're younger and you lose a match or something, and you come into the professional tour and get all this abuse saying they will come around your house and do this and that. It's not nice.”
Draper also criticised those who came online to send hate messages and denounced social media. But, like Boulter and De Minaur, he wants something to be done about the abuse athletes receive.
He continued: “But at the same time, I take comfort in knowing whoever's doing that probably sat on their mum's couch, nailing a bag of Quavers with their pants on, whatever.
“I mean, I'm not that worried about that, to be honest. I just, to be honest, I don't really do social media. I don't really see it too much.
“But there does need to be something that gets done about it, not just in tennis but in professional sport. It's too easy to spread hate. I guess that's Twitter, Instagram, that's the world we live in. I'm not a fan of social media at all.”
