Two days after pulling off an upset over top-seeded Ashleigh Barty in the third round, Shelby Rogers's U.S. Open run ended on Monday with a loss to Emma Raducanu in straight sets. While her elimination was cause for disappointment, Rogers's thoughts after the match were with a different concern altogether: social media.
Speaking to the media following the defeat, Rogers said she expected to see "nine million death threats" from strangers on her social media accounts, according to ESPN'S Aishwarya Kumar, and bemoaned the role social media plays in sports.
"Obviously we appreciate the spotlight in those moments, but then you have today and I'm going to have nine million death threats and whatnot," Rogers said. "It's very much polarizing, one extreme to the other very quickly."
After rallying to beat Barty in a thrilling three-set match, Rogers was off rhythm for virtually the entire match on Monday, losing 6–2, 6–1. She lost 11 straight games during one stretch, as Raducanu has yet to drop a set for the tournament.
Rogers said she uses social media primarily to fulfill her marketing duties, but otherwise wishes she didn't have to use it.
"You could probably go through my profile right now—I'm probably a 'fat pig' and words that I can't say right now," Rogers said. "But, it is what it is. You try not to take it to heart, and it's the unfortunate side of any sport and what we do. ...
"Social media can't control what I'm doing and the way my training is going to go moving forward, but I wish it didn't exist. It's really tough."
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