Tennis players face an increasing problem of receiving online threats and insults from gamblers who take advantage of their anonymity.
In a recent incident, Italian tennis player Lucrezia Stefanini revealed that she had received threats before her qualifying match for the Indian Wells Championship against Andorran Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva.
Stefanini received a picture of a gun on WhatsApp accompanied by a message asking her not to win the match, which ended with Jimenez winning 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Stefanini expressed her shock, saying: “My family and I were threatened. They mentioned my place of birth and the names of my parents. The feeling of insecurity I experienced was very difficult.”
In statements to the Spanish newspaper Marca, she added: “The Women’s Professional Players Association responded quickly, provided me with additional protection and accompanied me to my car after the match, and they were concerned for my safety.”
As for the loss, she confirmed: “I fought until the end and did not allow them to intimidate me or influence my performance during the match.”
For his part, Angelo Benaghi, President of the Italian Tennis Federation, described this behavior as “dangerous and unacceptable,” stressing the importance of punishing anyone who tries to threaten players for betting purposes, and demanding that strict legal measures be taken and that those responsible for this incident be identified.
