Addressing Online Abuse: The Challenge Facing Female Tennis Players in 2025

The Scale and Nature of Online Abuse in Tennis

According to the Signify Group’s threat matrix service, female tennis players received over 12,000 abusive messages and posts on social media in 2025, matching the 2024 total and indicating the problem persists despite interventions. Abuse occurs across major platforms including X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook. The threat matrix uses artificial intelligence combined with human analysis to detect and assess harmful content. British player Katie Boulter has publicly disclosed receiving death threats online, highlighting risks ranging from psychological distress to concerns about personal safety and career longevity.

The abuse includes hate speech, threats of violence, and harassment tied to match outcomes. For players in the public eye, social media is both an engagement tool and a source of hostility. The year-on-year consistency of abuse figures suggests current measures, while helpful, are insufficient to drive meaningful change. Without stronger preventive actions, the cycle of abuse will likely continue, undermining efforts to foster a supportive environment for athletes.

The Link Between Gambling and Online Harassment

Sports betting frustration is a significant driver of abuse. In 2024, nearly half (48%) of abusive posts were linked to gambling; this continued into 2025, with gambling-related accounts responsible for 42% of verified abuse and 59% of serious abuse cases. This disproportionate involvement shows financial stakes in match results fuel hostile online behaviour. When players underperform or suffer unexpected losses, individuals with bets may respond with anger, sometimes escalating to abusive or threatening messages.

This reveals a complex challenge at the intersection of sport, technology, and the betting industry. As legal betting markets grow in countries like Nigeria and parts of Europe, new risks emerge for athletes. Tennis’s unpredictability makes it especially vulnerable to such reactions. Addressing this requires better platform moderation and proactive engagement with gambling operators to promote responsible behaviour and accountability. Without tackling this root cause, efforts to reduce abuse may only treat symptoms.

Platform Responses and Technological Interventions

Despite high abuse volumes, progress is evident. In 2025, 66% of serious abusive content was removed from social media, showing improved detection and enforcement. Additionally, 35 accounts linked to 12 individuals were escalated to law enforcement, reflecting a commitment to accountability beyond content removal. These outcomes suggest reporting systems and moderation teams are becoming more effective, especially when supported by advanced monitoring tools.

Artificial intelligence plays a central role. The threat matrix service uses AI to scan data in real time, flagging harmful posts for human review. Similar systems in men’s tennis blocked over 162,000 abusive posts in a year, demonstrating technology’s potential as a first line of defence. However, experts caution AI alone cannot solve the issue—automated systems may miss nuanced harassment or struggle with context, and they do not deter determined offenders. Thus, innovation must be paired with human oversight, clearer policies, and consequences for repeat abuse.

Calls for Stronger Preventive Measures

Players and organisations increasingly advocate for preventive over reactive strategies. The WTA player board has condemned the abuse as unacceptable and stressed its impact on mental health and performance, calling for identity verification on social media platforms as a key deterrent. Verified identities could reduce anonymity that enables abuse, making it harder to harass athletes without consequence.

Other proposals include faster response to reports, improved transparency in moderation, and greater investment in mental health support. Many athletes now access counselling and media training to navigate online hostility. Yet as players note, these resources have limits if the environment remains hostile. Long-term change depends on creating platforms where abuse is not only removed quickly but discouraged from occurring in the first place.

The Need for Cross-Sector Collaboration

The WTA and World Tennis stress that solving this issue requires cooperation across sectors. Social media companies must strengthen moderation policies and invest in better detection tools. Law enforcement needs adequate resources and clear frameworks to investigate online threats, particularly those involving violence or repeated harassment. Sports governing bodies must advocate for players and ensure their concerns are taken seriously in discussions with tech platforms and regulators.

The gambling industry, given its significant role in abuse volumes, bears responsibility to address customer behaviour. This could include monitoring for problematic gambling, promoting responsible betting campaigns, and cooperating with sports bodies to share information when abuse links to betting accounts. In rapidly growing markets like Nigeria, such collaboration could help prevent escalation before harm occurs.

Ultimately, no single entity can resolve this alone. Sustainable progress depends on ongoing dialogue, shared accountability, and coordinated action. When platforms, sports organisations, authorities, and industry stakeholders collaborate, the likelihood of creating safer digital spaces for athletes increases significantly.

What this means

The persistence of online abuse against female tennis players in 2025 underscores a critical challenge at the heart of modern sport: how to protect athletes in an era of constant digital connectivity. While technological advances and improved moderation have led to meaningful removals of harmful content and some accountability, root causes—especially gambling-related frustration—demand deeper, systemic action. For tennis to thrive, players must be able to compete without fear of harassment, on and off the court. This requires innovation, accountability from users, and leadership from governing bodies. By fostering cross-industry collaboration and prioritising athlete well-being as a core value, tennis can set an example for how sport navigates the digital age. The safety and dignity of its players depend on it.