Tennis governing bodies, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) have urged the betting industry to act against gambling-related abuse of players.
The call comes as it was revealed that 40% of 8,000 abusive messages sent to tennis players on social media originated from irate gamblers.
In collaboration with data specialists, the Signify Group, the WTA and ITF have launched the first-ever detailed report on social media-based abuse directed at players.
Signify Group’s Threat Matrix AI service, which screens online platforms to detect foul content, found that during 2024, “458 players were targeted with direct abuse or threat, five players received 26% of the total abuse identified, while 97 prolific accounts were responsible for 23% of all detected abuse.”
A spokesperson for the WTA and ITF said in the official press release: “Given the clear evidence highlighted by Threat Matrix on the link between angry gamblers and prolific online abuse and threat, we are calling for a constructive dialogue with the gambling industry to help tackle this issue.”
“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. We hope the gambling industry responds constructively to our call for more action on their part.”
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.
Findings from first ever season-wide report outlining the scale of abuse directed at players on social… pic.twitter.com/ginYpNa6QZ
— ITF (@ITFTennis) June 17, 2025
Something that no player should have to endure
British women’s tennis number one Katie Boulter revealed she had received some very nasty messages on social media, including “hope you get cancer” and urging her to buy “candles and a coffin for your entire family”.
World number three Jessica Pegula stressed that “online abuse is unacceptable, and something that no player should have to endure,” as she welcomed the Threat Matrix report presented by the WTA and ITF.
The 31-year-old Buffalo, New York-native added that further action is required to make a meaningful change and most importantly, to protect players.
Earlier this month, the overall issue in sport was further highlighted when Olympic sprint champion Gabby Thomas was heckled by an individual at a Grand Slam Track event in Philadelphia.
Later, the man took to social media to boast about his actions and how the verbal abuse helped him to win a bet, resulting in FanDuel issuing a ban.
Image credit: @nypost/X
