Gamblers Linked to Most Tennis Abuse in 2025 Report

A new report has revealed that gamblers were responsible for a large share of serious online abuse aimed at tennis players during the 2025 season.

The study by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and World Tennis found that gamblers accounted for 42 per cent of verified abuse and 59 per cent of serious abuse directed at players across professional tours.

The tennis online abuse report analysed more than 1.2 million posts and comments from 2025 using the Threat Matrix service, an artificial intelligence-based system launched in 2024 to help protect athletes from harassment and threats online.

Researchers identified more than 12,000 abusive posts, including 3,726 cases classified as serious abuse. These included violent threats, sexual abuse, racist attacks, and targeted harassment. Authorities received referrals involving 35 accounts connected to 12 individuals, including one verified account network.

The report also showed progress in tackling online harassment in sports, with 89 per cent of accounts linked to serious abuse in 2024 not appearing again in 2025. The findings suggest that joint action between organisations and authorities has helped reduce repeat offences.

“While today’s findings illustrate the effectiveness of that action to date, further significant progress requires collective action from social media companies, law enforcement, governing bodies and the gambling industry and we will continue to proactively advocate for that,” the WTA and World Tennis said in a joint statement.

Several players have previously spoken about the impact of online attacks. Amanda Anisimova said she was “scared” to check her phone after losing the Wimbledon final to Iga Swiatek, while Katie Boulter revealed that she and her family received death threats after matches.

How can sports organisations and online platforms better protect athletes from digital abuse?