Vicious trolls leave girl players at break point
‘WE’RE NOT MODELS’
TENNIS ace Heather Watson says web trolls are putting girls off sport by taunting female stars about their looks.
The British No3, who was once bullied online about her weight, urged women to “feel comfortable in their own skin”.
And she pointed out that athletes could not look picture-perfect all the time.
Heather, 25, said: “Sometimes I wish I could look cute on court, but you can’t.
“You’re just hustling and fighting and that’s the job we have.
“And it just shows that we’re strong, that sport isn’t just for boys, and sport definitely isn’t about looking perfect.”
She added: “We tennis girls are all fit and healthy, but we’re on the court with no make-up and sweaty.
“We aren’t celebrities who have people on hand to do make-up all the time.”
Watson said she used to look at hurtful comments online to “punish” ® herself after losing matches. But now she hopes to encourage more women to forget their own insecurities and take up the sport.
She added: “I actually love wearing sports clothes, having my hair tied up in a bun, not wearing make-up.
“And I think more girls should feel more comfortable in their own skin and not have to cover themselves in make-up all the time.
“I do love putting on make-up, but you don’t have to wear it every day and you don’t have to change your body to look like pictures you see on the internet.”
Watson became the first British woman to win a Wimbledon title for almost 30 years when she won the mixed doubles at the All England Club last year.
But she received abuse online after she was knocked out in the first round of the women’s singles by Germany’s Annika Beck. Your top tennis service:
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