Rebecca Marino, a 22-year-old Canadian tennis player who has been ranked as high as 38th in the world in women’s professional tennis, is calling it quits.
Her decision to quit the sport has nothing to do with injury or talent — it’s because of cyberbullying, according to The Toronto Star.
“In a way I wish I hadn’t joined social media,” she admitted.
Marino deleted both her Facebook and Twitter accounts earlier this week and explained to reporters via conference call that she received tweets that said she should “go die” and to “go burn in hell” and that she had cost bettors lots of money.
“It has been a difficult decision and one that I have not taken lightly,” she said in a conference call. “After thinking long and hard about it, I realized that I do not have the passion or enjoyment to drive myself to the level of which I would like to be at in professional tennis. I have previously been to No. 38 on the WTA singles rankings, so I realize the amount of work and sacrifices that have to be put in. And at this point, I do not think it is worth sacrificing my happiness for.”
Social media played a role in her decision to take a seven-month hiatus from tennis in 2012.
“I have been suffering from depression for many years, and I had gotten to my lowest point last February,” she said of the time her 2012 hiatus began. “I opened up to my friends and family about what was going on. This was one of the most difficult things I have ever done, but it is also the best thing I have ever done. Seeking help got me through to a better outlook, and made me enjoy life. To this day I still struggle with my depression, but I am doing far better than before.
“I’ve had days where I haven’t been able to get out of bed,” she added. “I’ve had days where I can’t even go to put my clothes on. It’s really hard to describe, but you just have this smothered feeling of grey.”
Marino has a 150-107 record in her WTA career.
Thumbnail via Twitter/@TennisUpdateINA
