WTA players facing abuse and threats on social media

Hong Kong – The WTA said that protecting players is “a key priority” as former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and Britain’s Katie Boulter on Wednesday became the latest women’s tennis stars to be abused online.

Kenin lost in three sets to British teenager Mika Stojsavljevic at the Hong Kong Open and within minutes the American’s Instagram page began receiving abusive and offensive messages.

Among the comments were references to the 27-year-old’s appearance and remarks about her parents, much of it graphic and littered with swear words.

A comment from an account set to private and with no profile picture or followers wrote: “You’re not even human. Do you realise how many families you’ve bankrupted around the world?”

The WTA believes that there is clear evidence linking betting and some of the more serious abuse.

“Protecting players and the wider tennis family from online threats and abuse is a key priority for the WTA,” said a spokesperson.

Boulter last year spoke out about the scale of the online hate, including death threats, directed at her and other players.

“I think it just kind of shows how vulnerable we are,” Boulter told the BBC, saying it was hard sometimes to work out what was a real-life threat and what wasn’t.

The 30-year-old Boulter followed Kenin in being defeated in Hong Kong on Wednesday, with abuse starting to roll into her Instagram page even before her match with the American Claire Liu finished.

On Tuesday, Boulter’s fellow Briton Jodie Burrage suffered a first-round exit at the Chennai Open in India.

The 27-year-old later shared a story on her Instagram page showing the abuse, including death threats, that she was sent in the aftermath.

Much of the abuse players get is through direct messages.

Germany’s Eva Lys tagged the WTA from her Instagram handle and asked: “When will something be done?”

The WTA said it has given Burrage extra support, including on the ground in Chennai, while investigations are under way to identify those responsible.

Female tennis players were subjected to more than 12,000 abusive posts and messages on social media in 2025, according to a report in July.

Among the steps that the WTA has taken along with other tennis bodies is the establishment in 2023 of an online monitoring service.

Through that system, abusers can be identified, investigated and in serious cases reported for prosecution.

Abusive comments can also be flagged for removal from the relevant websites, although social media platforms have been accused of not doing enough.