Overview

• After her quarter-final loss to Naomi Osaka at the Canadian Open, Svitolina said private messages from angry bettors included death threats, war-related taunts and racial slurs.
• She posted screenshots on her Instagram Story to show how the abuse attacked her role as a mother and targeted her husband, French player Gael Monfils.
• A joint WTA and ITF Threat Matrix report released in June found that 458 players faced over 8,000 abusive social media messages in 2024, with 40 percent traced to gamblers.
• Several players have criticized current AI-driven blocking tools as inadequate and have demanded that social platforms introduce stronger filters and enforce account suspensions.
• Svitolina’s revelations have intensified demands for betting companies to identify offending customers and impose penalties on those who send hateful or violent messages.