"It's becoming the norm," Boulter shares the hate messages she regularly receives on social media
In recent hours, the WTA and ITF (International Tennis Federation) released their first report on the social media abuse faced by professional female tennis players.
The findings, covering the entirety of 2024, are alarming: 8,000 messages deemed violent, threatening, or abusive were recorded, and 458 players were targeted with direct abuse or threats over the past year.
Ranked 39th in the world, Katie Boulter is among the many players who regularly receive hateful messages from bettors on social media.
In an interview with the BBC, the British player—currently competing in the WTA 250 tournament in Nottingham—spoke about the numerous messages she receives after certain losses.
"I think it's something that's becoming the norm, and I don’t think social media is a place where anyone wants to be. I’ve received a lot of messages from people, most of whom bet on tennis.
"I don’t particularly like getting them, but now I try not to pay too much attention. It’s more about the younger generation coming up who are also receiving these kinds of messages.
"The amount of hateful messages we receive has increased significantly. Between the start of my career and now, social media has grown a lot.
"It’s becoming harder and harder to avoid when you pick up your phone. There’s an increase in the number of messages, but also in the nature of what’s being said.
"Now, people say whatever comes to mind without really caring about the impact it might have or whether it could hurt us. Early in my career, I took the messages personally.
"They were mostly about how I was dressed or how I played. It’s not something you want to read moments after a painful loss.
"Last year at Wimbledon, I received countless messages (after losing in the second round to her compatriot Harriet Dart). I don’t look at them in detail, but I know I got them under my Instagram posts, in private messages, and even on X (formerly Twitter).
"During Roland-Garros, I got a message that said: ‘I hope you get cancer, you piece of trash.’ I’d just like to know who the person behind the screen is, sending such awful things.
"It’s something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy—it’s not even a thought that would cross my mind. It’s horrible to say something like that to anyone. It’s truly awful.
"There was also a message that said: ‘Katie Boulter is going to buy candles and a coffin for her whole family with the money she won after such a rigged match. I’ll kill your entire family, and I’ll go damage your grandmother’s grave if she isn’t already dead.’
"It shows how vulnerable we can be. You don’t know if this person is at tournaments, if they’re nearby. Maybe they even know where we live. It’s sad to see people say such horrible things—it’s disgusting.
"I think there should be a way to prevent such messages from being sent. We know very well that most of these comments come from the world of sports betting.
"If the person said the same thing to me face-to-face, I don’t think they’d get away without consequences. I reported a lot of messages like these early in my career.
"As a tennis player, I just want to protect the younger players coming up from all of this. I’m open to any ideas that could help move in that direction," Boulter explained.
