The Women&rsquo;s Tennis Association (WTA) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) have released their first season-wide report highlighting the scale of online abuse faced by players. The report, based on data collected throughout 2024 by Signify Group&rsquo;s Threat Matrix service, reveals that around 8,000 posts and comments from 4,200 accounts were abusive, violent, or threatening.
British tennis player and world No. 2 Katie Boulter shared her personal experience, saying, &ldquo;It becomes more apparent every time you go on your phone. The abuse keeps growing in number and intensity. I don&rsquo;t think anything&rsquo;s off limits anymore,&rdquo; she told BBC Sport.
The Threat Matrix AI analyzed 1.6 million posts and comments between January and December 2024. Human analysts confirmed that 8,000 of these were abusive. Of the most serious cases, 15 were escalated to law enforcement.
According to the report:
<ul data-start="1010" data-end="1144">
<li style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-start="1010" data-end="1046">
458 players were directly targeted
</li>
<li style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-start="1047" data-end="1090">
5 players received 26% of the total abuse
</li>
<li style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-start="1091" data-end="1144">
97 accounts were responsible for 23% of all threats
</li>
</ul>
Notably, 40% of the abuse was linked to angry gamblers. Ten of the most prolific accounts &mdash; largely gambling-related &mdash; were responsible for 12% of all abuse. Nine of these accounts have been suspended, removed, or self-deleted.
Law enforcement investigations have been launched into 15 extreme cases, with 3 submitted to the FBI and 12 to other national agencies. Four of these threats were connected to Grand Slams, one to the Paris Olympics, and the rest to regular tour events.
The WTA and ITF stated that information on abusive users has been shared with event security to block their access to venues and revoke tickets. Both men's and women&rsquo;s players have been targeted, including during major events.
&ldquo;This first-year report from Threat Matrix shows the severity of the problem and highlights the actions being taken to protect athletes,&rdquo; said a joint statement from WTA and ITF. &ldquo;We are calling for open dialogue with the gambling industry to help stop individuals responsible for such abuse.&rdquo;
Jessica Pegula, a WTA Players&rsquo; Council member, also weighed in: &ldquo;Online abuse is unacceptable. No player should have to face it. The collaboration with Threat Matrix is a step forward, but it&rsquo;s not enough. The gambling industry and social media platforms need to act at the source to protect everyone subjected to this behavior.&rdquo; Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed.

Tennis bodies expose online abuse tied to gambling; 4,200 accounts flagged, 15 cases under probe

WTA, ITF Reveal 8,000 Abuse Cases in 2024

Tennis bodies expose online abuse tied to gambling; 4,200 accounts flagged, 15 cases under probe

June 17, 2025 | 22:16 IST