Jodie Burrage received death threats and other abuse on social media after losing in the first round of the Chennai Open, her first WTA Tour singles match proper in 16 months. India’s Vaishnavi Adkar recovered from a set down to win 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.
Burrage, 27, shared a video on Instagram showing some of the direct messages she had received. “Nice welcome back to tour. I remember why I left,” the Londoner wrote.
Germany’s Eva Lys showed support for Burrage and called on the WTA to act, asking on Instagram: “When will something be done?”
Ranked 474th in the world and Britain’s number 15, Burrage last played a WTA Tour match outside qualifying in July 2025, when she lost to Catherine McNally in the first round at Wimbledon.
A report published earlier this year found that female tennis players received more than 12,000 abusive social media posts and messages in 2025. Data from the Signify Group’s threat-matrix service, which uses artificial intelligence to detect abuse, showed a similar total to 2024.
The group’s earlier findings attributed 48% of abusive posts to angry gamblers. In 2025, gamblers were responsible for 42% of verified abuse and 59% of serious abuse cases. British player Katie Boulter said in 2025 that she had received death threats. Players have called for social media platforms to introduce identity verification, while the WTA’s player board has described online abuse as “unacceptable” and warned of its significant impact.
Sources: BBC Sport.