JODIE BURRAGE RECEIVES DEATH THREATS AFTER CHENNAI OPEN DEFEAT

Jodie Burrage received death threats and other abusive messages on social media after losing her first-round match at the Chennai Open, the Londoner said on Instagram. Burrage, ranked 474th in the world and Britain's number 15, was beaten 3-6 6-3 7-5 by India's Vaishnavi Adkar, who recovered from a set down. It was Burrage's first WTA Tour singles match proper in 16 months. She posted a video scrolling through direct messages she had received, including abuse, alongside the comment: "Nice welcome back to tour. I remember why I left." Germany's Eva Lys showed solidarity with Burrage, tagging the WTA on Instagram and asking: "When will something be done?"

Burrage's last WTA Tour match, excluding qualifying rounds, had been in July 2025, when she lost to Catherine McNally in the first round at Wimbledon. A report published earlier this year found female tennis players were subjected to more than 12,000 abusive posts and messages on social media last year. The data, compiled by the Signify Group's threat matrix service using artificial intelligence-led detection, showed a similar volume of abusive posts in 2025 to 2024. A separate report from the same group two years ago found that angry gamblers were behind 48% of posts deemed abusive. Gamblers were responsible for 42% of verified abuse recorded in 2025 and 59% of cases classed as serious abuse.

Fellow British player Katie Boulter told BBC Sport earlier this year that she too had received death threats. Players called for social media platforms to introduce identity verification to address the abuse. The WTA's player board has previously condemned the abuse directed at players as "unacceptable". It said the impact on those targeted "can be significant".