Hong Kong (AFP) – The WTA, the women's tennis circuit, assured AFP that protecting players is "a priority", after former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and Britain's Katie Boulter became the latest women's tennis stars to be victims of online abuse on Wednesday.

First modification: 04/11/2026 - 17:41

Kenin lost in three sets to British teenager Mika Stojsavljevic at the Hong Kong Open and, within minutes, the American's Instagram page began receiving abusive and offensive messages.

Among the comments were references to the 27-year-old player's physical appearance and comments about her parents, many of them riddled with insults.

One comment from a private account, with no profile picture or followers, read: "You're not even human. Do you realize how many families you've ruined around the world?"

The WTA believes there is clear evidence linking betting to some of the most serious abuses.

"Protecting players and the wider tennis family from online threats and abuse is a key priority for the WTA," a spokeswoman told AFP.

Boulter spoke out last year about these displays of online hate, including death threats, directed against her and other players.

"I think this just shows how vulnerable we are," Boulter told the BBC, noting that it was sometimes difficult to distinguish what constituted a real threat and what did not.

Boulter, 30, followed Kenin on the losing list in Hong Kong on Wednesday, and the abuse started hitting her Instagram page even before her match against American Claire Liu ended.

On Tuesday, fellow British Jodie Burrage suffered a first-round elimination at the Chennai Open in India.

The 27-year-old later shared a story on her Instagram page showing the abuse, including death threats, she received after the match.

Much of the abuse that female players receive comes through direct messages.

Germany's Eva Lys tagged the WTA from her Instagram account and asked: "When is something going to be done?"

Tennis players were the subject of more than 12,000 abusive posts and messages on social networks in 2025, according to a report published in July.

Among the measures that the WTA has adopted together with other tennis organizations is the creation, in 2023, of an online monitoring service.

Through this system, aggressors can be identified, investigated and, in the most serious cases, reported.

© 2026 AFP

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