Boulter says death threats and abuse highlight dark side of betting

Katie Boulter

British tennis player Katie Boulter has told the BBC she received death threats targeting her and her family during the French Open, saying in an interview that online abuse has become the norm and that she is worried about the impact it will have on younger players.

Boulter, who is 28-year-old and ranked No. 39 in the WTA, said she believes many of the abusive messages are sent by people who are placing bets on tennis matches,

The messages threatening her loved ones was sent during her French Open first-round match against Carole Monnet on May 29. After losing the first-set tie-break, Boulter won the match 6-7 (4), 6-1. 6-1.

But the loss of the tiebreaker prompted the outrage.

“Hope you get cancer,” said one message. Another mentioned damaging her “grandmother’s grave if she’s not dead by tomorrow” and “candles and a coffin for your entire family.” A third said: “Go to hell, I lost money my mother sent me.”

Boulter, who shared with the BBC screenshots of the messages, said she is worried about the toll the widespread abuse takes on younger players.

“At the very start of my career, it’s probably something I took very personally… getting comments about the way you look,” she said. “It becomes more apparent every single time you go on your phone.

“I think it increases in number and it also increases in the level of things that people say. I don’t think there’s anything off the cards now.”

Many other players have previously reported online abuse. In a bid to try to protect athletes from that sort of abuse, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), All England Lawn Tennis Club and United States Tennis Association in 2023 launched the Threat Matrix. The program monitors public-facing social accounts for abusive and threatening content on social networks. It also provides support for players.

Despite years of reporting online abuse, Boulter said the volume has become overwhelming — and her concern now lies with protecting those coming up behind her.

“I think that by the end of where I am right now, I think there is just too many to almost do that,” she said. “As a tennis player, I just want to see and protect some of the younger players that come through and try to find a way around this whole situation.”

According to statistics provided to the BBC by data science firm Signify, the ITF and WTA, about 8,000 abusive, violent or threatening messages were sent publicly to 458 tennis players through their social media accounts in 2024.

Boulter, who received abuse after wins as well as losses, said a lot of it comes from people who have placed bets on her matches.

“As far as death threats, it’s just not something you want to be reading straight after an emotional loss,” she said. “A lot of the time you get it after you win as well.”

According to Signify, angry gamblers sent 40% of all detected abuse, with messages clearly related to betting activity because of the timing or content of the abuse.

Boulter said she is getting ready for the level of abuse to increase when she plays at Wimbledon, her home Grand Slam. The grass-court tournament starts June 30. MDT/AP