Governing bodies in tennis are committed to addressing the issue of online harassment targeted at players

On Wednesday, the primary tennis governing bodies announced their commitment to safeguarding players from online harassment. Starting January 1, the ITF, WTA, AELTC, and USTA plan to employ the Threat Matrix service to monitor players’ public social media accounts, including platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok, for abusive and threatening content.

This initiative underscores the dedication of these international tennis organizations to shield athletes from both the mental harm and potential real-world dangers posed by online abuse. Threat Matrix, leveraging artificial intelligence and open-source data, will promptly evaluate threats to personal safety, inform social media platforms of any abuse, and assist law enforcement in investigating serious cases.

The service is designed to aid in pinpointing the sources of abuse, allowing the governing bodies to take all necessary measures against the offenders. This strategy represents a significant step in the fight against online harassment faced by tennis players.

The increase in online abuse has been linked to the growth of sports betting, with players often becoming targets of disgruntled bettors. A study conducted by Threat Matrix examined over 1.6 million public posts on X and 19,000 Instagram comments directed at a sample of 454 tennis players participating in various professional tournaments in 2022.

The study revealed that one in four monitored players received abusive messages. In total, 546 offensive Tweets from 438 accounts were identified, and the relevant information and evidence were shared with social media platforms and authorities for appropriate action.