British tennis player
Burrage suffered a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 loss to Vaishnavi Adkar in the round of 32 on Tuesday. Following the match, she posted a video showcasing the vitriol directed at her, accompanied by the caption: "Nice welcome back to the tour. I remember why I left." The nature of the messages suggests that many were sent by gamblers frustrated by the result of the match.
Rising concerns over online abuse in professional tennis
The incident highlights the ongoing issue of online harassment directed at professional athletes, particularly from individuals involved in sports betting. Data from the sport's governing body, World Tennis, revealed that in 2024, angry gamblers were responsible for nearly half of the 12,000 social media posts identified as abusive by a monitoring service between January and October.
In response to the growing prevalence of such behavior, the WTA has implemented measures to protect its players. A report released by the organization in July 2025 noted that they successfully secured the removal of 66% of serious abusive posts or comments. Furthermore, the governing body reported that 89% of the accounts identified as sources of serious abuse in 2024 did not reappear the following year, while 35 specific accounts were escalated to law enforcement for further investigation.
The abuse faced by Burrage is part of a broader trend of hostility directed at players on social media platforms. Last month, American star Coco Gauff reported receiving an "insane" volume of racist comments following a contentious point during her match against Sun Xinran at the China Open. These incidents continue to draw attention to the challenges players face regarding digital safety and the impact of betting-related harassment on the professional circuit.
