Watson tells of online death threats and abuse
HEATHER WATSON has revealed how online trolls have wished that she, and her entire family, were dead.
As the 23-year-old from Guernsey and British number one female tennis player took to the courts at Wimbledon yesterday, her comments to the New York Times showed the darker side to her success story.
'Oh, I've had death threats. I have had people threatening to kill me and kill my family, wishing that I get cancer and die a slow, painful death. Horrible words I couldn't even think up in my head, to be that mean.'
Often she was targeted only when she lost matches, but the torrent of abuse has become so regular she has learnt to tune it out.
'I think at the beginning when I would see mean, hurtful messages, it would really hurt my feelings because I wasn't used to it. I wouldn't remember any of the good comments, I'd just remember that one bad one. I've had so many now that it doesn't mean anything to me. I don't want to get too involved in other people's opinions and thoughts of me because at the end of the day, it doesn't matter.'
