British tennis player Katie Boulter has disclosed the horrifying death threats she received whilst competing at the French Open, including messages wishing cancer upon her and threatening to damage her grandmother's grave.
The British No 2 was targeted with vile abuse after losing a tie-break during her first-round match against Carole Monnet on 29 May, despite eventually winning 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 6-1.
"Hope you get cancer," read one message sent to the 28-year-old player.
Another expletive-laden threat referenced damaging her "grandmother's grave if she's not dead by tomorrow" and "candles and a coffin for your entire family".
British tennis player Katie Boulter has disclosed the horrifying death threats she received whilst competing at the French Open, including messages wishing cancer upon her and threatening to damage her grandmother's grave
REUTERS
A third message stated: "Go to hell, I lost money my mother sent me."
The world No 39 shared these messages ten days after receiving them, expressing a mixture of despair, resignation and fear.
New data reveals the shocking scale of abuse directed at tennis players through social media, with approximately 8,000 abusive, violent or threatening messages sent publicly to 458 players in 2024.
The statistics, shared with BBC Sport by data science firm Signify, the International Tennis Federation and Women's Tennis Association, show that 40 per cent of all detected abuse came from angry gamblers.
More than a quarter of all abuse was targeted at just five players, whilst the most prolific account sent 263 abusive messages.
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Katie Boulter has claimed abuse towards players on social media has become 'the norm'
REUTERS
A number of accounts were escalated to law enforcement, with nine of the 10 most prolific accounts - predominantly linked to gambling-related anger - either suspended or having content removed.
Details of 39 account holders were shared with tennis authorities and the betting industry for further action.
Boulter revealed that receiving such abusive content has become "the norm" for players, with the severity and frequency of messages escalating throughout her career.
"At the very start of my career, it's probably something I took very personally... getting comments about the way you look," she told the Beeb.
"It becomes more apparent every single time you go on your phone."
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The Leicester-born player noted that abuse now arrives after victories as well as defeats, with much of it stemming from people who have placed bets on matches.
"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," Boulter said.
She explained that she has become better at avoiding her direct messages or moving on from the abuse, though the emotional impact remains significant.
Boulter expressed particular concern about the vulnerability of athletes and the potential impact on younger players entering the sport.
"I think it just kind of shows how vulnerable we are," Boulter said.
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"You really don't know if this person is on site. You really don't know if they're nearby or if they know where you live or anything like that."
She highlighted that explicit images represent another troubling issue, particularly for young athletes.
"I've had quite a few of those sorts of things," Boulter revealed, noting that whilst some content is filtered by Instagram, much still appears in hidden messages or requests.
"That's also a larger problem. Youngsters really shouldn't be seeing things like that or being sent things like that."
Boulter has occasionally attempted to engage with those sending abuse, hoping to prompt reflection on their actions.
Katie Boulter expects abuse towards tennis players will intensify during Wimbledon
PA
"I've just tried to send them a nice message [so] maybe they can take a second and look at themselves and go: 'Oh, well maybe I shouldn't have sent that,'" she explained.
She revealed that some respond with apologies, claiming to be fans who acted emotionally.
The British player anticipates abuse will intensify during Wimbledon, describing it as "pretty astronomical" for her home Grand Slam.
She also receives abuse related to her partner, Australian world No 12 Alex de Minaur, with each receiving messages about the other's performances.
"You can get hundreds of messages after games, after points, after sets and after matches," Boulter said.
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