Elena Rybakina has opened up about her decision to temporarily deactivate her Instagram account after receiving a flood of negative comments following her early exit at the Queen's Club Championships.
The world No. 2 made the move after suffering a surprise three-set defeat to Britain's Katie Boulter in the quarter-finals of the grass-court tournament. Despite entering the event as one of the favourites, Rybakina was unable to continue her run and soon found herself facing criticism online.
Speaking ahead of this week's Berlin Open, the reigning Australian Open champion explained that while she usually ignores social media negativity, the reaction to her loss crossed a line.
Rybakina said the volume of comments became excessive, particularly from people frustrated by her defeat. Rather than spending time monitoring and removing abusive messages, she felt stepping away from the platform was the best solution.
"I usually don't pay much attention to it, but this time it was too much," Rybakina said. She added that social media has become part of a professional athlete's job, but she did not want to continue giving people a platform to direct abuse toward her after a single loss.
Source: Just Women's Sports
The 26-year-old also noted that although she has people helping manage her social media accounts, keeping up with hostile comments can become a full-time task. For that reason, she decided to distance herself from social media rather than spend energy dealing with negativity.
Rybakina stressed that she is comfortable being away from social media and admitted she would likely be far less active online if she were not a public figure. However, she stopped short of confirming whether her departure from Instagram would be permanent, describing the decision as an emotional response made in the moment.
The incident once again highlights the challenges faced by professional athletes in the digital age, where disappointing results can often trigger waves of online abuse, particularly from angry bettors and frustrated fans. Rybakina's experience is far from unique, with many players across the tennis circuit speaking out about the growing impact of social media harassment.
For now, the Kazakh star's attention has shifted back to the court. She is set to begin her Berlin Open campaign this week as she continues her preparations for Wimbledon, aiming to put the disappointment of Queen's behind her and refocus on the grass-court season ahead.
