Tennis Players Faced Thousands of Abusive Online Messages, Report Finds
Verified
A Threat Matrix service provided by Signify Group tracks online abuse utilizing AI-led detection methods. According to Yahoo Sports, female tennis players received over 12,000 abusive posts and messages in 2024, while BBC Sport reports this figure represents the year 2025. The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) commissioned an inaugural report in 2024, which categorized 3,726 posts as representing serious abuse. Despite differing timelines for overall volume, both Yahoo Sports and BBC Sport indicate that the number of abusive posts was broadly similar between 2024 and 2025. The WTA's report also revealed that approximately 66% of identified serious abuse posts were subsequently removed from online platforms. Signify Group’s Threat Matrix service continues to monitor this issue within the sport.
Sources
- BBC Sport: Female tennis players faced 12,000 abusive posts in 2025
- BBC Sport: Huge rise in harmful social media posts this World Cup
- Yahoo Sports: Female tennis players faced 12,000-plus abusive posts last year
- Yahoo Sports: Female tennis players faced 12,000 abusive posts in 2025
- Yahoo Sports: Huge rise in harmful social media posts this World Cup
- NDTV: 7 Million Abusive Comments Aimed At Players, Staff Detected During World Cup