Reporting note: this article draws on BBC Sport; PGLive provides the summary and editorial framing.
The Scale of Online Harassment in Professional Tennis
A new report from the Signify Group reveals that female professional tennis players were subjected to over 12,000 abusive social media posts and messages in 2025. This figure remains consistent with data recorded in 2024, indicating a persistent trend of digital harassment targeting athletes across platforms including X, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook.
The Role of Gambling and Enforcement
Analysis of the abuse identifies a significant correlation with sports betting. In 2025, verified accounts linked to gambling activity were responsible for 42% of all abusive content and 59% of cases classified as "serious abuse." Despite the volume of harassment, the report notes that 66% of serious abuse was successfully removed. Furthermore, 35 accounts associated with 12 individuals have been escalated to law enforcement for further action.
Industry Response and Player Advocacy
The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) player board characterizes the abuse as "unacceptable," emphasizing that while the number of perpetrators may be relatively small, the psychological impact on players remains significant. British player Katie Boulter has previously spoken publicly about receiving death threats, leading several players to advocate for mandatory identity verification on social media platforms to deter anonymous harassment.
The WTA and World Tennis are currently utilizing AI-led detection systems, supported by human analysts, to monitor and mitigate these threats. Governing bodies are calling for a collaborative approach involving social media companies, law enforcement, and the gambling industry to implement more robust protections. By comparison, the men's professional game has implemented a separate AI-driven system that blocked 162,000 posts over the past year.
