Death threats for Briton Burrage on WTA Tour return
British tennis player Jodie Burrage has received death threats and online abuse following her first-round exit at the Chennai Open. The incident highlights a growing trend of harassment against female athletes, with players calling for stricter identity verification on social media platforms.
Why it matters
The persistent abuse of professional athletes by gamblers and online trolls raises significant concerns about player safety and the efficacy of current social media moderation policies.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Jodie Burrage reached a career-high ranking of 85th in the world in September 2023
Britain's Jodie Burrage received death threats and abuse on social media after she was beaten in her first WTA Tour singles match proper for 16 months.
The 27-year-old, ranked 474th in the world, suffered a first-round exit at the Chennai Open after India's Vaishnavi Adkar fought back from a set down to triumph 3-6 6-3 7-5.
Burrage later shared a story on her Instagram account , external with a video scroll of direct messages, including abuse, she was sent following the match.
"Nice welcome back to tour. I remember why I left," said the Londoner in the accompanying message.
Germany's Eva Lys showed solidarity with Burrage, tagging the WTA from her Instagram handle and asking: "When will something be done?"
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