LONDON (Sports Desk): British tennis player Jodie Burrage faced defeat on her return to WTA singles competition after a lengthy break, following which she began receiving abusive messages and death threats on social media.
The 27-year-old Jodie Burrage lost to Indian player Vaishnavi Adkar in the first round of the Chennai Open, with a scoreline of 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Despite losing the opening set, the Indian player staged an impressive comeback to secure victory.
After the match, the British player shared a video on Instagram showing the threatening and abusive messages she had received. She said the treatment she faced upon returning to the sport reminded her why she had stepped away from tennis in the past.
German tennis star Eva Lys expressed solidarity with Jodie Burrage and urged the international tennis governing body to take effective measures to protect players from online harassment.
According to reports, female tennis players received more than 12,000 abusive messages on social media last year. Experts have also proposed making identity verification mandatory for social media users to prevent online abuse.