British tennis player Jodie Burrage received death threats and online abuse following her defeat in her first WTA Tour singles match proper in 16 months. The 27-year-old, ranked 474th in the world, suffered a first-round exit at the Chennai Open after India’s Vaishnavi Adkar came back from a set down to win 3-6 6-3 7-5.
Social Media Abuse
Burrage posted a story on her Instagram account featuring a video scroll of direct messages containing abusive content and threats she received after the match. The Londoner accompanied the post with the message: “Nice welcome back to tour. I remember why I left.”
German player Eva Lys expressed support for Burrage by tagging the WTA on her Instagram account and questioning when action will be taken regarding the issue. Burrage, who is Britain’s number 15, had not played a main draw match on the WTA Tour since losing to Catherine McNally in the first round at Wimbledon in July 2025.
Wider Issue of Online Abuse in Tennis
A report published earlier this year revealed that female tennis players faced more than 12,000 abusive posts and messages on social media over the course of the previous year. Data compiled by the Signify Group’s threat matrix service, which employs artificial intelligence-led detection, indicated that the volume of abusive posts remained comparable between 2024 and 2025.
According to findings from the same group, angry gamblers drove 48% of posts classified as abusive two years prior. Gamblers accounted for 42% of verified abuse in 2025 and 59% of serious abuse cases.
The problem has affected other British players as well, with Katie Boulter stating to BBC Sport in 2025 that she had also received death threats. In response to these persistent issues, fellow players have advocated for social media platforms to introduce mandatory identity verification.
The WTA’s player board has previously denounced the abuse, labeling it unacceptable and emphasizing that its psychological impact on athletes can be substantial.
