The WTA has offered Jodie Burrage additional support after the British player received death threats and online abuse following her first-round loss at the Chennai Open on Tuesday. Burrage lost 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to India’s Vaishnavi Adkar in her first WTA Tour match since last summer.
Burrage shared abusive messages sent to her Instagram account, writing: “Nice welcome back to the tour. I remember why I left.” The 27-year-old had also spoken publicly about abuse after her first-round exit at Wimbledon in 2025.
A WTA spokesperson said staff in Chennai were supporting Burrage alongside the organisation’s player welfare and Threat Matrix teams. The WTA has offered her a private channel for reporting abusive direct messages and moderation to hide abusive public comments before she sees them.
Threat Matrix is reporting the abuse to social media platforms, and investigations are under way to identify those responsible. The spokesperson said accounts linked to abuse involving betting would be added to the WTA’s Bad Actor programme, allowing betting operators to take action against them.
The WTA launched Threat Matrix three years ago with Wimbledon, World Tennis and the United States Tennis Association to identify and address online abuse targeting players and officials. Data from the programme showed female tennis players faced more than 12,000 abusive posts and messages in 2025. Angry gamblers were responsible for 42% of verified abuse and 59% of serious abuse.
Sources: The Guardian Sport.