Tracy Austin knows the pitfalls of being a teenage success story all too well after triumphing at the 1979 U.S. Open at just 16 but feels what she went through bears no comparison to the social media onslaught that young players now have to deal with.
Britain's Emma Raducanu after winning the 2021 US Open Tennis tournament. Photo: AFP
Hence the American player-turned-pundit said that players such as British teenager Emma Raducanu need to build a virtual protective wall around themselves - by switching off from social media.
Raducanu rocketed to fame after winning the U.S. Open last year as an 18-year-old qualifier but has since struggled to live up to expectations as she tries to adapt to the challenges of being a full-time tennis professional.
"There's going to be haters everywhere," Austin told Reuters from her home in Rolling Hills, California.
"She's beautiful. She speaks well. She's bright. She's athletic. She's won a major. She's a multi-millionaire. And the problem with that is that most people are going to be jealous. Jealousy with a capital 'J' is evil, so back away from that if you can."
Austin admitted that is easier said than done.
Tracy Austin supports the next generation of tennis stars. Photo: AFP
"I'm sure they're intrigued about what people are saying, but stick to your values and keep people around you that have your best interests at heart," she said.
"I would say to stay off social media as much as possible. Maybe you need it for sponsors so put your stuff out but don't necessarily take stuff in."
The two-time major champion, whose Hall of Fame career was cut short by injuries and a car accident, said that when she was rising to the top of the game she was advised not to pick up the newspaper or watch what people were saying about her on television.
"It's difficult enough without everybody having an opinion about your hairstyle, your dress, your attitude, or whatever it is," she said.
She praised Naomi Osaka, who opened a conversation about mental health in sports when she withdrew from last year's French Open, and world number one Iga Swiatek, who travels with a psychologist.
"The way that you think about yourself, about your game, your confidence during matches - all of that is led by your head," she said.
- Reuters