More than 12,000 abusive posts targeted women’s tennis in 2025 — and the picture is messy

Here’s the short, ugly version: a WTA/World Tennis report found female players were the target of over 12,000 abusive social-media posts and messages in 2025, with nearly 3,726 of those labelled “serious” — violent, sexual, racist or targeted threats. The sport measured it, and the numbers are awful. The good news is some of the machinery to deal with it is finally starting to work. The bad news is the abuse didn’t drop much year-on-year. (I’ll explain the numbers and who’s behind it.)

What the figures actually say

The headline — “more than 12,000 abusive posts” — comes from a joint WTA and World Tennis report that used Signify Group’s AI-driven threat-matrix monitoring to comb through the year’s chatter. The monitoring scanned more than a million posts and comments in 2025, looking for threats, slurs and other abusive material. WTA/World Tennis report is the place to read the raw totals and methodology.

Numbers worth pausing on:

• 12,000+ abusive posts and messages targeting female players.
• 3,726 posts classified as serious abuse — sexual, violent, racist, or targeted threats.
• 66% of serious abuse incidents were removed by platforms, according to the report.
• The monitoring covered more than 1.2 million posts and comments across 2025.

Those removal numbers are a genuine positive. Two-thirds is not perfection, but it's real action compared with past years where removal rates were often much lower.

Who’s doing the abusing — and why it matters

Not all abuse looks the same. The report — and follow-up BBC coverage — point to a striking culprit: gamblers. A big chunk of the verified abuse in 2025 was tied to people betting on matches and then lashing out when outcomes didn’t go their way.

The BBC’s analysis of the data found gamblers were behind 42% of verified abuse in 2025, and an even larger share of the worst stuff — 59% of serious abuse cases. The report also notes law enforcement was notified about 35 accounts linked to 12 individuals, showing some of the most dangerous behaviour is traceable beyond anonymous usernames. You can see that breakdown in the BBC report.

That gambler connection changes the conversation. This isn’t just toxic fans or keyboard trolls; it’s people with skin in the betting market whose grievance can quickly turn into threats. It raises questions about whether betting platforms, regulators and social platforms are doing enough to spot and stop coordinated harassment tied to wagers.

Where the abuse happens (and how it’s monitored)

The monitoring didn’t just sweep a single corner of the internet. The threat-matrix scanned major platforms including X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube to build its picture of the problem. That matters because the abuse isn’t confined to one app — it hops wherever an account is allowed to spread hate.

The earlier reporting on this data itemised the platforms and showed the monitoring footprint. Using an AI-driven system like Signify’s lets the sport flag high volumes quickly, but it doesn’t replace human judgement. The report combined automated detection with verification steps to classify what counted as “serious.”

Has anything changed since 2024?

Here’s a blunt takeaway: overall levels of abuse were roughly the same as 2024, but the response was stronger in 2025. The monitoring and takedown mechanisms improved, which is why you see that 66% removal figure for serious abuse.

For context, earlier monitoring flagged gamblers as responsible for almost half of abusive posts in 2024. The 2025 numbers show a similar pattern: abuse didn’t fall much, but verification and takedowns moved in the right direction.

So the sport is getting better at cleaning up the mess after it happens. What it hasn’t yet done is prevent the mess in the first place.

What the players are saying — and why it’s not “just online”

This is often presented as a digital-safety problem, but players and the WTA make the wellbeing angle explicit. The WTA called the abuse “unacceptable” and warned of the “significant” impact on players’ mental health and safety.

Top players have spoken up too. Jessica Pegula has said death and family threats have become “normal” for elite players, which tells you how routine this abuse feels to the people living it. That quote and the wellbeing framing were covered in the reporting from the same group that examined the data.

When threats mention players’ families or hint at violence, it stops being “just” unpleasant comments and becomes an existential safety issue. That’s why teams, tournaments and the WTA are treating it like a player-welfare problem, not just a moderation challenge.

What the authorities and platforms have done so far

There are a few concrete steps already in play:

• Platforms removed a sizeable share of serious posts — the report says 66% were taken down.
• Law enforcement was notified about accounts tied to particularly severe cases — the BBC reported 35 accounts connected to 12 people were flagged.
• The WTA and World Tennis are using an AI threat-matrix to monitor and verify abuse automatically, then pressing platforms to act.

That’s progress. It’s not enough to stop the next wave, but it makes it easier to prosecute criminal threats and to cut off accounts carrying clear violent or racist content.

Why this isn’t just a tech problem

AI scans and platform takedowns are helpful, but the root causes run wider. A few things make this sticky:

• Some perpetrators are financially motivated — the gambling link means anger can be amplified by money lost.
• Platforms are global; laws and enforcement vary by country, so what’s easy to punish in one place is tough in another.
• Takedowns don’t erase messages that have already spread or the psychological damage to the person targeted.

Those factors mean the fix needs policy, policing, platform rules and real attention to players’ mental health — not just better moderation tools.

Practical next steps people are talking about

The report and subsequent coverage didn’t prescribe a single silver bullet, but a few measures are obvious and are being pushed by players and the WTA:

• Faster, coordinated takedowns across platforms so abusive content doesn’t migrate and resurface.
• Closer work with betting operators to trace and deter accounts tied to abusive or criminal behaviour.
• More proactive monitoring and verification, so serious threats are escalated to law enforcement quickly.
• Better support systems for players — counselling, security protocols, and clear lines to report threats confidentially.

Those are sensible steps. The tricky part is getting platforms, regulators and betting companies to move in sync — and to keep moves consistent across jurisdictions.

FAQ

Q: How many abusive posts were there in 2025?

The WTA/World Tennis report found more than 12,000 abusive posts and messages targeting female players, with 3,726 classed as serious. You can read the report for the full breakdown in the WTA/World Tennis report.

Q: What counts as “serious abuse”?

“Serious abuse” in the report includes violent, sexual, racist, and directly targeted threats. These are the posts platforms are most likely to remove and that can trigger law enforcement involvement.

Q: Who’s responsible for most of this abuse?

The data shows a large proportion is linked to gamblers. The BBC’s analysis found gamblers were behind about 42% of verified abuse and 59% of serious abuse cases in 2025. That makes this partly a betting-driven problem, not just general toxicity. See the BBC breakdown here.

Q: Are platforms doing anything about it?

Yes. The report says platforms removed 66% of the serious abuse flagged in 2025. Removal rates are improving, but gaps remain — especially where content spreads across services or where legal frameworks don’t support quick action.

Q: Have authorities been involved?

They have. The BBC reported law enforcement was notified about 35 accounts linked to 12 individuals, which shows some cases reached a level where criminal investigation was appropriate.

Q: Does this affect player welfare?

Absolutely. The WTA described the abuse as “unacceptable” and warned of a “significant” impact on players’ wellbeing. Players like Jessica Pegula have said death and family threats have become a routine part of life on tour, which underscores the toll this takes beyond the court.

Wrapping up — one thing to remember

Abuse levels didn’t drop in 2025, but the response did improve: more content removed, more accounts flagged, and more cases referred to police. That’s progress, but it’s not the end of the story. If tennis wants players to feel safe, the sport needs sustained pressure on platforms, betting firms and law enforcement — and better, faster support for the people actually living through these threats.