Toxic Tennis Talk
Tennis Player Jessica Pegula Condemns Gamblers Following Harassment from Dead Dog Remark Incident
In the cutthroat world of tennis, athletes, such as US star Jessica Pegula, are increasingly facing harassment and death threats from bettors. Pegula, ranked third globally, dubbed the bettors as "crazy and delusional" due to their abusive comments, despite her efforts to steer clear of online comments during tournaments.
Pegula shared screenshots on her Instagram Story, revealing a barrage of abuse following her defeat at the French Open in Roland Garros. Social media users victimized Pegula over an Instagram post mourning the passing of her pet dog Tucker, adding to her crushing loss.
As per The Mirror, Pegula also received a barrage of menacing threats after losing to wildcard Lois Boisson in the French Open's fourth round. The online abuse Pegula endured transcended mere criticism, with numerous users hoping her family fell ill and wishing for her to give birth to a stillborn child.
Pegula made it clear that she's seldom troubled by the abuse. Still, she found it "disturbing" and questioned whether the toxicity was particularly worse within tennis than other sports. Remarkably, she asserted that the intensity of such abuse in tennis was at least 100 times more severe compared to other sports.
The reason? Bettors would constantly hound tennis players—whether they won or lost—to match their betting preferences. "These comments come at us nonstop," Pegula said.
Stalking Scandal
Pegula's mention of stalking recently resurfaced in the news, echoing an incident involving US Olympic gold medal-winning sprint star Gabby Thomas at the Grand Slam Track meet in Philadelphia [5]. Thomas called out a bettor who harassed her during the event and later gloated about how his abuse propelled him to win a parlay bet.
Background: The Intersection of Betting and Online Harassment
Tennis, with its real-time in-play betting mechanic, fosters an environment where bettors can get emotionally invested in a match, amplifying the potential for abuse when outcomes do not favor their bets. Moreover, the immediate access tennis players maintain via social media to both fans and bettors has led toility a higher volume of personal messages and abuse[4].
The relatively weak enforcement of abusive users and the cultural and industry factors unique to tennis contribute to the increased incidence of harassment[4]. While online abuse is prevalent across various sports, tennis is a notable outlier due to its combination of individual exposure and real-time betting[1].
Though efforts to combat online abuse exist, such as AI filters during the French Open, there remains a critical need for proactive measures to address the problem holistically—ranging from stronger legal partnerships and stricter social media policies to a cultural shift within the tennis and betting industries [2].
Sports enthusiasts may wonder if the intensity of online abuse faced by tennis players, such as Jessica Pegula, is worse than other sports. Pegula, a renowned tennis player, asserted that the abuse in tennis is at least 100 times more severe due to the constant harassment from bettors who want players to match their betting preferences.
