‘It can be annoying,’ McCartney Kessler dives into the ‘ridiculous’ social media messages and her ways to avoid it | FirstSportz Exclusive

McCartney Kessler has opened up about the positive and negative aspects of social media. Although she briefly mentioned the good, she primarily focused on the negative, particularly the issue of receiving death threats.

The American tennis star, who has made significant strides since the start of 2025, claimed that the threats persist regardless of her performances. She also revealed that her husband has been a victim of online abuse as well.

I do love it [social media], but it can be annoying. I get ridiculous messages all the time when I am playing, even when I am winning. I just ignore them. Maybe I’ll change my mind but I don’t think anyone can message me that will affect me or affect my day.

McCartney Kessler said on Fantastic Tennis podcast

However, despite her strong personality, Kessler stated that she ignores the negativity and does not let it ruin her day. That said, she does pay attention if someone attempts to stalk her or track her location.

I don’t know if you can come up with anything new. They message my husband or comment on everything. So I just ignore them, sometimes I make a laugh about it. If someone is stalking you or finding you, that is a different story.

McCartney Kessler added

Kessler is not the only WTA player who has been targeted by social media harassment. Recently, Caroline Garcia also shared the disturbing messages she has received on her online accounts.

Those performances eventually had a knock-on effect on Garcia. The Spaniard had to end her 2024 season early after crashing out of the US Open, citing a lack of form and focus.

McCartney Kessler speaks on her heroic Dubai run

American tennis star McCartney Kessler has reflected on her biggest career achievement so far—defeating Coco Gauff at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships. The 25-year-old believes her strong performance in Dubai was due to a clear mindset after a tough loss at the Qatar Open.

At Dubai, I was really liking the way the courts were playing. Because I lost so badly the week before, and I was so upset with how I played, it took the pressure off me. I was like, I can just relax and play free. Hence, I got a couple of good wins and I was happy.

McCartney Kessler said on Fantastic Tennis podcast

Kessler struggled in Qatar, winning only a couple of games against Ons Jabeur in the first round. However, she quickly recovered and secured impressive wins over Amanda Anisimova and Gauff.

The former University of Florida player had never beaten a Top 10 opponent before this match. Last season, she was 0-2 against such players. But in Dubai, she took down Gauff in under 90 minutes on Court 1.

The loss ended Gauff’s 36-match winning streak against players ranked outside the Top 50. Before that, Gauff’s last loss to a lower-ranked opponent came at Wimbledon, where she fell in the first round to then-No. 128 Sofia Kenin.

McCartney Kessler talks about her biggest improvement as a tennis player

The 25-year-old tennis star McCartney Kessler has analyzed her greatest improvement as a player. The American was outside the top 100 at the start of the season but has now reached a career-high ranking of World No. 47.

I think I have improved in a lot of areas. My serve has got better, my groundstrokes, my movement. But I think its more just the mental side. I have the confidence that I can beat these players. Now when I get on the court, I have the mindset that I won’t just compete, I can beat these people.

McCartney Kessler said on Fantastic Tennis podcast

To date, Kessler has reached three WTA finals. Her most recent appearance came at the ATX Open, where she lost to Jessica Pegula.

She also put up a strong performance at Indian Wells. However, she was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets in the second round.

As a result of her great performances, she is now part of a growing list of great American players on the WTA Tour. Pegula and Gauff have already made significant achievements throughout the course of their careers.