British tennis player Katie Boulter has revealed she received disturbing death threats targeting herself and her family during her French Open campaign, shedding light on the pervasive issue of online abuse faced by athletes. Her comments coincide with a new report from the WTA and ITF, which calls on betting companies to increase their efforts in stemming the flood of abusive messages players endure on social media.

The Alarming Reality of Online Abuse

Boulter, currently ranked 39th, shared with the BBC that online abuse has become a grim norm for professional tennis players. She believes a significant portion of these menacing messages originate from individuals who have placed bets on tennis matches. The threats against her and her loved ones were sent during her first-round match at the French Open on May 29 against Carole Monnet. Despite losing the first-set tie-breaker, Boulter ultimately won the match in three sets (6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-1). However, the tie-breaker loss was enough to trigger a torrent of vitriolic messages.

Boulter provided screenshots of the messages, which included horrifying statements such as "Hope you get cancer," a threat to damage her "grandmother’s grave if she’s not dead by tomorrow" with mentions of "candles and a coffin for your entire family," and a message stating, "Go to hell, I lost money my mother sent me."

Expressing deep concern, Boulter highlighted the severe toll such widespread abuse takes, particularly on younger players entering the professional circuit. "As a tennis player, I just want to see and protect some of the younger players that come through and try to find a way around this whole situation," Boulter told the BBC. "It becomes more apparent every single time you go on your phone... I think it increases in number and it also increases in the level of things that people say. I don’t think there’s anything off the cards now."

New Report Quantifies the Problem

Boulter’s revelations align with a new season-wide report published by the WTA and ITF on Tuesday, detailing the scale of online abuse. The report indicates that in 2024, 458 tennis players were targeted by over 8,000 abusive comments and posts across social media platforms. A stark finding from the report is that 40% of this abuse originated from "angry gamblers."

The report, based on findings from the "Threat Matrix" service, also revealed that a concentrated amount of abuse came from a small number of offenders: five players received 26% of the total identified abuse, while just 97 accounts were responsible for 23% of all detected abuse. In total, over 4,200 accounts sent abusive, violent, or threatening comments to players.

In response, the WTA and ITF have confirmed that "Action has been taken against the most serious and prolific of these, including 15 accounts escalated to law enforcement."

Calls for Greater Responsibility

The tennis authorities are urging greater collaboration from external stakeholders to tackle this growing problem. Third-ranked Jessica Pegula, a member of the WTA Players’ Council, emphasized the need for collective action. “Online abuse is unacceptable, and something that no player should have to endure,” Pegula stated. “It’s time for the gambling industry and social media companies to tackle the problem at its source and act to protect everyone facing these threats.”

The "Threat Matrix" program, launched in 2023 by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), All England Lawn Tennis Club, and United States Tennis Association, proactively monitors public-facing social media accounts for abusive and threatening content, offering support to players. While an important step, the recent incidents underscore the ongoing challenges in safeguarding athletes from online harassment, particularly when linked to betting outcomes.