British tennis star Katie Boulter has revealed that she received death threats threatening both her and family members during the recent French Open. The 28-year-old believes that much of this online abuse comes from people who are betting on matches.
One comment was sent to her after she lost the first set in her first-round match in a tiebreaker, with the person saying they hoped “she got cancer.” Another person said that Boulter had better arrange “candles and a coffin for your entire family.” Sometimes she receives messages even when she wins, so it’s not just the losses that trigger irate bettors.
especially concerned about the impact remarks like these can have on younger players
The 39th-ranked female tennis player in the world shared screenshots with the BBC to raise awareness of the issue. She’s especially concerned about the impact remarks like these can have on younger players.
Signify, a leading data science firm, said its findings from analyzing thousands of abusive messages sent to tennis players show that about 40% of them are from bettors. They can determine if this is the case by looking at the content of the message or its timing.
