‘I got so many negative messages’: Former tennis star Sofya Zhuk on naked photo shoot and modeling career

Former Wimbledon junior champion Sofya Zhuk has said she constantly deals with online hate, suggesting that some of her followers just can’t accept that she has found her new passion outside the tennis world.

The Russian, who now lives in Miami, USA said her recent topless photoshoot produced a bombshell effect with haters bombarding her page with negative and even aggressive messages.

“I didn’t quite get what was the big deal,” Zhuk said.

“I posted a photo, so what? When I share something, I’m not trying to send any message. I’m just posting a picture that I like.  But when I shared that [topless] photo, I received an avalanche of messages. Normally I wouldn’t bother about them, but this [time] around they were so aggressive. I just think people simply can’t accept that I’ve found myself outside tennis, that I can live happily without sport and not sinking into depression.”

The 20-year-old, who had been widely regarded as one of Russia’s most promising young stars, said she was forced to quit tennis due to recurrent injuries which prevented her from playing at the highest level.

Zhuk said she leads a happy life after giving up sport, stressing that she doesn’t miss tennis courts and competitions and adding that she wants to embark on a career in professional modeling.