WTA says protecting players ‘key priority’ in face of abuse, threats
Women tennis players were subjected to more than 12,000 abusive posts and messages on social media in 2025, according to a report in July.
WTA officials have stated that safeguarding female tennis players from online abuse and threats is their top priority, following a series of recent incidents. In the latest case, American player Sofia Kenin lost to British teenager Mika Stojsavljevic in the Hong Kong Open on Wednesday, just minutes after which her Instagram account started receiving abusive and offensive messages.
The comments included disparaging remarks about her appearance and references to her parents, many of which were graphic and filled with profanity.
From the same tournament, British player Katie Boulter also experienced a similar situation. She had spoken out about the severity of online hate, including death threats, that she and other players face. Boulter's Instagram page began receiving abusive messages even before her match with American player Claire Liu ended.
Another player, Jodie Burrage, faced a similar ordeal a day before the Hong Kong Open. The 27-year-old British player was defeated in the first round of the Chennai Open in India, and her Instagram page started to fill with abusive messages, including death threats, shortly after the match.
The WTA has confirmed that such abuse often comes through direct messages. Responding to the issue, the association has provided Burrage with additional support, including in Chennai, while ongoing investigations are conducted to identify those responsible for these malicious actions.
According to a report from July, over 12,000 abusive posts and messages were directed towards women tennis players on social media in 2025. In response to this problem, the WTA, along with other tennis bodies, established an online monitoring service in 2023. This system helps identify and investigate abusers, with serious cases being reported for prosecution. Furthermore, abusive comments can be flagged for removal from the respective websites.
However, social media platforms, including Meta, which owns Instagram, have been criticized for not doing enough to curb this issue. AFP has reached out to Meta for a comment.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
