Female tennis players faced 12,000 abusive posts in 2025
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- Signify Group's threat matrix detected more than 12,000 abusive posts and messages directed at female tennis players on social media in 2025, a figure similar to 2024 levels, and identified that 66% of serious abuse was removed.
- Angry gamblers were responsible for 42% of verified abuse in 2025 (down from 48% in 2024) and 59% of serious abuse cases, according to the same group's data.
- Law enforcement received 35 accounts linked to 12 individuals that were escalated after monitoring across X, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Facebook using AI supported by human analysts.
- The WTA player board called the abuse "unacceptable" and said "collective action" from social media companies, law enforcement, governing bodies and the gambling industry is required for further progress.
- Britain's Katie Boulter publicly disclosed receiving death threats in 2025, prompting fellow players to call for mandatory identity verification by social media platforms.
- The men's game is using a separate AI-driven system that blocked 162,000 posts in a year to combat severe abuse, contrasting the tools deployed across the professional tours.
Why it matters: Gamblers driving 59% of serious abuse against female players means platforms and the betting industry share concrete accountability stakes, and the 35-account escalation shows enforcement is now reaching individuals, not just removing posts. The Boulter-led call for ID verification puts pressure on X, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Facebook to adopt verification tools already deployed in the men's tour.
