Chennai Open Defeat Triggers Online Death Threats for Jodie Burrage
British tennis player Jodie Burrage received death threats and online abuse after losing her first WTA Tour main-draw match in 16 months against India’s Vaishnavi Adkar at the Chennai Open on Tuesday. Burrage looked poised for victory when she led 5-3 in the deciding set, but she dropped four consecutive games to fall to a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 defeat after a grueling two hours and 47 minutes on court.
The 27-year-old Londoner published screenshots of the abusive direct messages on an Instagram story following the match. “Nice welcome back to tour. I remember why I left,” Burrage wrote in her accompanying message. Germany’s Eva Lys quickly showed solidarity with the British player, tagging the WTA from her Instagram handle and asking: “When will something be done?”
Humid Conditions Compound Physical Struggles on Court
The protracted contest took a heavy physical toll in demanding humid conditions. Burrage appeared to struggle with the heat and called for the doctor just as her opponent was about to serve for the match. She was visibly shaking while medical staff checked her blood pressure and oxygen levels, in addition to applying ice packs to her arms and legs. Although she managed to resume the match, she lost the final game to love as Adkar secured her maiden WTA Tour-level victory.
Burrage, who reached a career-high singles ranking of 85 in September 2023, currently sits at 474th in the world. Her last main-draw appearance on the WTA Tour came in July 2025 at Wimbledon, where she also suffered a first-round exit against American Caty McNally. Reflecting on that tournament, Burrage previously revealed she had to stop looking at her phone entirely due to the volume of online harassment.
Gamblers Drive High Volume of Tour Abuse
Both Burrage and fellow British player Katie Boulter have publicly pointed to frustrated bettors as the primary source of the threats. Following her Wimbledon defeat last year, Burrage argued that mandatory ID verification linked to social media accounts would quickly curb the abuse by enforcing accountability. She noted that messages frequently mention lost wagers, with trolls telling her she cost them specific amounts of money.
British tennis player, Jodie Burrage revealed that she was subject to death threats and abuse on social media after her defeat to Vaishnavi Adkar at the Chennai Open.#Tennis #ChennaiOpenhttps://t.co/ri6D4fCRbz
Data from the Signify Group's AI-led threat matrix service shows the scale of the issue across professional tennis. A joint report by the Women’s Tennis Association and the International Tennis Federation revealed that 458 players were direct targets of abuse in 2024. Frustrated gamblers accounted for 40 per cent of general social media abuse that year, a figure that surged to 77 per cent for direct messages sent to players’ personal accounts. Subsequent figures from 2025 tracked by the Signify Group indicated that angry gamblers were responsible for 42 per cent of verified abuse and 59 per cent of serious abuse cases, with female players subjected to more than 12,000 abusive posts overall.
Fellow Players Report Ongoing Safety Concerns
Katie Boulter has similarly detailed severe harassment, disclosing that she and her family received death threats last year. Boulter explained that the relentless online abuse creates genuine safety fears for athletes who travel constantly for tournaments. “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,” Boulter told reporters, adding that initial remarks about her personal appearance have escalated into broader threats.
The WTA’s player board has previously condemned player abuse as entirely unacceptable, acknowledging that the psychological impact on competitors can be significant.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tennis Player Harassment
How many professional tennis players were targeted by online abuse recently?
A report produced by the Women’s Tennis Association and International Tennis Federation using the Signify Group’s AI detection system found that 458 players were direct targets of online abuse in 2024. Data from 2025 showed that female tennis players alone were subjected to more than 12,000 abusive posts and messages.
𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬/𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭 British tennis player, Jodie Burrage has reported receiving death threats and abusive messages on social media after losing in the first round of the… pic.twitter.com/TAxasY1HZZ
What percentage of tennis abuse comes from sports gamblers?
The Signify Group’s findings indicate that frustrated gamblers accounted for 40 per cent of general social media abuse in 2024, rising to 77 per cent for direct messages sent to players’ personal accounts. In 2025, bettors were responsible for 42 per cent of verified abuse and 59 per cent of serious abuse cases.
What measures have players proposed to stop social media trolls?
Jodie Burrage has repeatedly urged social media companies and gambling platforms to implement mandatory identification verification connected to user accounts, arguing that linking real IDs to profiles would increase accountability and deter online harassment.
Who won the Chennai Open first-round match between Jodie Burrage and Vaishnavi Adkar?
India’s Vaishnavi Adkar won the first-round match 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 after overturning a 3-5 deficit in the deciding set in front of a home crowd in Chennai.