Almost every week, tennis players share the insulting messages they receive on social media. British player Katie Boulter recently revealed that she could receive hundreds of messages after matches, sometimes death threats, from bettors unhappy about having lost money. The Wimbledon Grand Slam, currently taking place in London, will not escape this scourge. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) documented this issue in a report on online abuse.
Several cases forwarded to the FBI
The ITF and WTA are collaborating with Signify Group, through its Threat Matrix service, to protect players and members of the tennis family from online threats and violence, such as the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS)Between January and December 2024, Threat Matrix analyzed 1,6 million messages and comments on the accounts of 8.300 athletes. The results: 8.000 were deemed abusive, violent, or threatening, and 458 players were targeted. These figures do not reflect the full scope of the problem, as they do not include ATP Tour players.
Gamblers are at the forefront of the accused: they are responsible for 40% of the abuse detected by Signify during the year. Among the reports submitted by players to Threat Matrix, 77% of direct abuse comes from disgruntled bettors. Individuals who " seek to cause direct emotional distress in players as a result of losing bets ", laments the ITF. One account alone sent no fewer than 263 abusive messages. Fifteen cases of abuse were investigated and evidence was provided to the appropriate national authorities for assessment and action – including three to the FBI. Tournament and circuit security teams were also provided with the necessary information to ban these individuals from match venues.
Everyone - betting operators, social media platforms, governing bodies, players and law enforcers - has a responsibility to make the online space a safer and more positive one.
- ITF (@ITFTennis) June 17, 2025
Findings from first ever season-wide report outlining the scale of abuse directed at players on social… pic.twitter.com/ginYpNa6QZ
“Unlivable for the new generation”
In the coming weeks, the Threat Matrix service will be expanded to include social media moderation. Tour players will be able to request its activation so that inappropriate messages on their social media are hidden or deleted. The ITF and WTA also hope to rely on the action of betting operators to improve efficiency. Given the clear evidence highlighted by Threat Matrix on the link between angry gamblers and online abuse and threats, we call for constructive dialogue with the gambling industry to help address this issue., says a spokesperson for both bodies. We hope that the gambling industry will respond constructively to our call for further action. »
« I commend the work the WTA and ITF are doing with Threat Matrix to identify and take action against abusers, whose behavior is often linked to gambling. But it's not enough. It's time for the gambling industry and social media companies to tackle the problem at its source and take action to protect everyone who faces these threats. ", supports American Jessica Pegula, member of the WTA players' council and current world number 3. Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia, who has just retired from sport, had spoken at length about this fight in the newspaper L'Equipe last year: " When you're young, new to the scene, and a sensitive person, it can be a very painful and violent thing. In recent years, hate messages from gamblers who have lost money have really escalated. It's getting worse and worse. If it continues like this, it's going to be unbearable for the new generation. »
