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Petkovic Says Sports Betting Fuels Online Abuse of Tennis Professionals

A WTA report shows almost half of last year’s 8,000 insulting or threatening social media comments came from angry bettors

Overview

  • The WTA report categorized about 8,000 social media messages as insulting, threatening or violent in the past year
  • Petkovic said gamblers who stake large sums often vent online hate when their bets fail
  • She revealed that threats made up roughly five percent of messages while the majority consisted of insults and curses
  • After matches Petkovic entrusts her phone to family or staff to sift through and delete abusive comments
  • Tournaments now feature dedicated mental health contacts to support players coping with online harassment