The key facts

  • Kenin and Boulter received abuse on Instagram immediately after their matches in Hong Kong, Burrage after her exit in Chennai, including death threats
  • The WTA told AFP that protecting players is a 'key priority' and provided Burrage with on-site support in Chennai
  • According to a July report, tennis players received more than 12,000 abusive messages in 2025; a monitoring system has been in place since 2023

New abuse cases after defeats

American Sofia Kenin, the Australian Open champion, lost in three sets to British teenager Mika Stojsavljevic at the Hong Kong Open, and within minutes her Instagram page began filling up with abusive messages — about her appearance and her parents, a significant portion of which contained profanity. One comment, left by a private account with no photo and no followers, read: 'You are not even a human being. Do you realize how many families around the world you have ruined?'

Boulter and Burrage

30-year-old Katie Boulter, who last year already spoke publicly about the scale of online hate, including death threats, lost in Hong Kong to American Claire Liu — the abuse began appearing on her page even before the match ended. Boulter told the BBC that 'this shows how vulnerable we are,' and admitted that at times it is hard to tell which threats are real and which are not. Her compatriot Jodie Burrage, 27, was eliminated in the first round of the tournament in Chennai on Tuesday and later posted on Instagram the abuse she had received, including death threats. German Eva Lys posed a question to the WTA on Instagram: 'When will something be done?'

WTA response and measures taken

The WTA told AFP that protecting players and the tennis community from online threats is a 'key priority' for the organization, and that Burrage has been given additional support, including an on-site presence in Chennai; an investigation is underway to identify those responsible. The organization believes there is clear evidence linking betting to some of the most serious abuse. Since 2023, the WTA, together with other tennis bodies, has been using an online monitoring service: through it, abusers can be identified, investigated and, in serious cases, referred for prosecution; abusive comments are also flagged for removal from platforms, although social networks are criticized for not acting sufficiently. According to a July report, in 2025 tennis players received more than 12,000 abusive posts and messages. AFP contacted Meta, which owns Instagram, for comment.