Gambling Giants: Unmasking Online Abuse in Tennis

A report by WTA and World Tennis reveals that gamblers were behind the majority of serious online abuse directed at tennis players during the 2025 season. Using AI, over 1.2 million posts were analyzed, revealing significant abuse. Joint enforcement efforts led to actions against abusive accounts.

A recent report highlights a disturbing trend in online abuse directed at tennis players, identifying gamblers as major perpetrators. The findings come from a comprehensive study by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and World Tennis.

The research, which analyzed over 1.2 million online posts in 2025 using the Threat Matrix service, found that 42% of all verified abuse originated from gamblers. Moreover, gamblers accounted for 59% of serious cases involving threats and hate speech.

Efforts to curb such abuse saw significant results, with 89% of abusive accounts from 2024 not reappearing in 2025, thanks to joint enforcement actions. However, the WTA emphasizes the need for collective efforts involving social media platforms, law enforcement, and the gambling industry to further tackle the issue.