British tennis player Jodie Burrage has reportedly received abusive messages and death threats on social media following her return to WTA Tour singles action after an extended absence.
The 27-year-old suffered a first-round defeat at the Chennai Open, losing to India’s Vaishnavi Adkar 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Adkar recovered from losing the opening set to secure victory.
Following the match, Burrage shared a video on Instagram showing abusive messages and threats she had received online. She said the response to her return to tennis reminded her why she had stepped away from the sport.
German tennis player Eva Lys expressed solidarity with Burrage and questioned when the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) would take practical measures to protect players from online harassment.
According to reports, female tennis players received more than 12,000 abusive messages on social media last year.
Experts have also called for mandatory user identity verification as a possible measure to help curb online abuse and improve the safety of athletes on digital platforms.