WTA, ITF Expose Online Abuse in Report

New Delhi

The WTA and ITF have released their first full-season report on online abuse, revealing that 8,000 abusive posts or comments came from 4,200 accounts targeting tennis players in 2024. This data was gathered using the Threat Matrix AI system by Signify Group, which scanned 1.6 million posts between January and December.

The report highlights that 458 players were directly targeted, with five players receiving 26% of all abuse. British tennis player Katie Boulter shared her own experience, saying abuse has become more severe and frequent online.

A major concern is the link between online abuse and gambling. Angry gamblers were behind 40% of the detected threats, and 10 prolific accounts were responsible for 12% of all harmful content. Of the most serious cases, 15 were reported to law enforcement, including the FBI.

Some offenders have been banned from attending tournaments. The WTA and ITF are now urging the gambling industry and social media platforms to step in and help stop the abuse at its source to better protect players from harm.