British tennis player receives online abuse after loss in Chennai
Jodie Burrage reported receiving death threats and Instagram abuse following her first singles match on the WTA Tour in 16 months.
British tennis player Jodie Burrage received death threats and online abuse on Instagram after losing to India’s Vaishnavi Adkar at the WTA Chennai Open on Tuesday, according to The Indian Express.
Burrage lost the first-round match 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 after two hours and 47 minutes. During the match, the 27-year-old required her blood pressure and oxygen levels to be checked as she struggled physically in the humid conditions.
Burrage suggested that the abuse might come from gamblers frustrated by losses. She stated she was guessing they were gamblers because some messages claimed she had caused them to lose specific amounts of money.
The player said she was trying not to look at her phone and suggested that connecting a person's identity to their account could increase accountability. She noted that while the problem is not impossible to eradicate, she believes more could be done.
German player Eva Lys tagged the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) on Instagram to ask when action would be taken. This follows reports that 458 players were direct targets of abuse in 2024.
A report found that gamblers were responsible for 40 per cent of social media abuse, a figure that rose to 77 per cent for direct abuse sent to players' personal accounts. The WTA player board has previously described such abuse as unacceptable.