Tennis can be brutal. Although sometimes, it’s not just the sport that makes it tough. Polish player Maja Chwalinska could agree for sure. Coming into the WTA 125K Internazionali di Calabria Challenger event, she put together a solid run to reach the quarterfinals and faced Leolia Jeanjean. Although it didn’t go her way, the fans didn’t make things any easier.

On November 22, Chwalinska’s run at the WTA 125 tournament in Colline wrapped up in the quarterfinals. The third seed, Jeanjean, overpowered the Polish hopeful 6-4, 6-2. Chwalinska walked off devastated; It wasn’t just losing the match that hurt.

On her Instagram story, she posted a screenshot. The list of comments had a sting. Some users called her “trash.” Others criticized her for losing, upset because they banked on her to win. The worst part was these comments weren’t even under a match post. They appeared under a carousel posted on her Instagram from three weeks ago. Just a collection of happy moments, shared on October 31, featuring Chwalinska and her loved ones enjoying fall.

This isn’t the first time players have spoken out against harsh critics on social media. Last month, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys raised this topic on The Player’s Box Podcast, dropped October 28 on YouTube. Pegula was blunt: “I don’t think any of us really gamble, but the people that gamble on our matches, we get to enjoy that fun part of being an athlete, I guess I should say.”

Then the World No. 7 shared a jaw-dropping story from her 2025 United Cup campaign:  “I’ll never forget being at United Cup and you guys searching for my Venmo, and I had a fake name because gamblers found me on Venmo and they sent me abusive messages requesting money after I lost,” she said. It sounds unreal, but this ugly side of betting really hit home.

In fact, Maja Chwalinska isn’t the first Pole to do it either. World No. 2 and Polish No. 1 Iga Swiatek has been sharing her side of the story for a while now. Fans often flood her DMs and comment sections with negative messages. But now she’s joined the Polish Tennis Association in a new movement.

Polish Tennis Association makes a move against online hate

Polish women’s tennis players and the Polish Tennis Association took a stand recently after enduring years of online harassment. Joining the #HejtOutLoveIn campaign, the action is quite straightforward:

“Polish tennis players and the Polish Tennis Association (PZT) are saying ‘enough’ by signing the Declaration of No Consent to Hate as part of the #HejtOutLoveIn social campaign. This gesture of solidarity is intended to show that in sport, as in life, there is only room for fair play and respect, not hate.”

The declaration can’t legally punish offenders, but it’s meant to shine a spotlight on the ugly problem of online harassment. Hate speech is something nearly everyone in tennis feels, whether they’re the target or just watching from the sidelines. The campaign really caught fire when Iga Swiatek decided to speak out about the abuse she deals with online.

After her 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 loss to Emma Navarro at the China Open last month, the floodgates opened. Swiatek shared screenshots of the harsh messages she got—“Mediocre player,” “Pathetic,” and “No discipline no talent no ability to make adjustments no mental strength” were just some of the insults. Someone even told her, “You don’t deserve to come to China. Go back to Poland.”

She voiced her frustration, pointing out that “most of the negativity comes from bots, betting, and ‘so-called fans.’” Swiatek put it straight: “These days, it’s a sad reality in the world of sport. Bots, betting, but also ‘fans’. This is worth thinking about, especially as World Mental Health Day is fast approaching.”

With more WTA players stepping forward and sharing their stories, there’s hope this wave of criticism will finally be addressed and hopefully slowed down. What’s your take on these efforts?