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Katie Boulter: British No 2 reveals death threats and online abuse to highlight disturbing side of tennis betting

British No 2 Katie Boulter has opened up about the level of abuse aimed at some tennis players and revealed she and her family have received death threats.

Boulter shared her experiences with BBC Sport to highlight the issue of players receiving toxic messages online.

The 28-year-old's examples included a message telling her to buy "candles and a coffin for your entire family" with a reference to her "grandmother's grave if she's not dead by tomorrow".

Another message stated she should "go to hell" as she had cost the poster money, and another read "hope you get cancer".

"I just wonder who the person is that has sent that. I don't think it's something that I would ever say to my worst enemy. It's just an awful, awful thing to say to anyone. It's horrible," Boulter said.

"As far as death threats, it's just not something you want to be reading straight after an emotional loss.

"A lot of the time you get it after you win as well."


Boulter believes much of the abuse comes from gamblers who have lost money and while she has learned how to better handle it over the years, incidents can raise genuine concerns for her safety.

"I think it just kind of shows how vulnerable we are. You really don't know if this person is on site. You really don't know if they're nearby or if they know where you live or anything like that," she added.

"At the very start of my career, it's probably something I took very personally [...] getting comments about the way you look."

"It becomes more apparent every single time you go on your phone."

The message Boulter received relating to her family came during her French Open first-round victory over Carole Monnet on May 29. After losing the first-set tie-break, Boulter won the match 6-7 (4) 6-1 6-1.

Boulter said she is concerned that both the frequency and severity of the abuse are increasing and worries about the potential impact on younger players.

"I think it increases in number, and it also increases in the level of things that people say. I don't think there's anything off the cards now," Boulter said.

Boulter said she is getting ready for the level of abuse to increase when she plays at Wimbledon, herhome Grand Slam which starts on June 30.

The British No 2 also said she receives online abuse if her partner, Australian world No 12 Alex de Minaur, loses a match.


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https://www.skysports.com/tennis/new...tennis-betting