Latest news with #CaroleMonnet
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Katie Boulter speaks out on ‘disgusting' online abuse, death threats: ‘You really don't know if…'
Katie Boulter is opening up about 'disgusting' online abuse she and her family have faced. In a conversation with BBC, the 28-year-old athlete, currently ranked British No. 2, revealed she regularly receives vile and threatening messages from strangers, often after both wins and losses. She also shared screenshots that included disturbing texts such as: 'Hope you get cancer' and 'candles and a coffin for your entire family.' Katie Boulter explained that the abuse tends to intensify around her matches, including an instance when a death threat was sent while she was competing in the first round of the 2025 French Open against Carole Monnet — a match she won. 'Go to hell, I lost money my mother sent me,' another message to her read. These messages reflect the anger of online gamblers lashing out when they lose bets. It is a dangerous trend increasingly common in the sports world. Boutler described the feeling of helplessness, saying it's hard to shake the fear that someone might actually be nearby. 'It becomes more apparent every single time you go on your phone,' she said, adding, 'You really don't know if this person is on site, if they're nearby or if they know where you live or anything like that.' ALSO READ: Tennis-Raducanu leads British trio into second round at Queen's Club Alongside the threats, Katie Boulter also highlighted another distressing issue: receiving explicit messages and images. She shared that she has received several such messages herself and is particularly alarmed by the idea of younger players being exposed to this level of harassment. She emphasized that young athletes should be shielded from such disturbing content. 'I've had quite a few of those sorts of things, [explicit images] that's also a larger problem,' the athlete said. 'As far as death threats, it's just not something you want to be reading straight after an emotional loss,' the player added, noting that abuse isn't limited to defeats, it often follows victories too. Katie Boulter is a professional tennis player from the United Kingdom, currently ranked British No. 2. She is 28 years old. She played and won her first-round match at the 2025 French Open against Carole Monnet.
Leader Live
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Leader Live
Katie Boulter opens up over level of online abuse sent to tennis players
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', one stating she should 'go to hell' as she had cost the poster money, and another stating 'hope you get cancer'. Boulter said: '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 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. She said: '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.' The message Boulter received relating to her family came during her French Open first-round victory over Carole Monnet on May 29. And she is concerned that both the frequency and severity of the abuse is increasing and worries about the potential impact on younger players. She said: '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.' The WTA and International Tennis Federation on Tuesday published their first report into online abuse of players after the launch of the Threat Matrix service last January. The system operates across all major social media platforms and uses AI and human analysts to identify and tackle harassment, abuse and threats directed at players. The report reveals 1.6million posts and comments were analysed, with around 8,000 directed at 458 players identified as abusive, violent or threatening. Five players received 26 per cent of the total abuse, while 40 per cent of the messages were identified as coming from angry gamblers. "Everyone – betting operators, social media platforms, governing bodies, players and law enforcers – has a responsibility to make the online space a safer and more positive one." Findings from the first season-wide report reveal the scale of abuse players face on social media. — wta (@WTA) June 17, 2025 Fifteen accounts have been identified to law enforcement because of the serious and prolific nature of the messages, while details have been shared with security teams at tennis events to prevent individuals accessing venues. A spokesperson for the WTA and ITF said: 'Protecting players and the wider tennis family from vile online threat and abuse is a key priority for us. Today's report covering the first year of the Threat Matrix service shows the scale of the problem and, crucially, the actions being taken to protect our athletes. 'Given the clear evidence highlighted by Threat Matrix on the link between angry gamblers and prolific online abuse and threat, we are calling for a constructive dialogue with the gambling industry to help tackle this issue. 'Everyone – betting operators, social media platforms, governing bodies, players and law enforcers – has a responsibility to make the online space a safer and more positive one. We hope the gambling industry responds constructively to our call for more action on their part.' The Threat Matrix service is also being enhanced to enable abusive messages to be hidden or removed in real time.
South Wales Guardian
8 hours ago
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Katie Boulter opens up over level of online abuse sent to tennis players
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', one stating she should 'go to hell' as she had cost the poster money, and another stating 'hope you get cancer'. Boulter said: '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 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. She said: '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.' The message Boulter received relating to her family came during her French Open first-round victory over Carole Monnet on May 29. And she is concerned that both the frequency and severity of the abuse is increasing and worries about the potential impact on younger players. She said: '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.'
The Independent
9 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Katie Boulter says online abuse shows dark side of sports betting
Tennis star Katie Boulter has revealed that she and her family have received death threats and other abusive messages online. Boulter shared examples of some of the toxic messages, included a message saying 'hope you get cancer' and another telling her to buy 'candles and a coffin for your entire family'. She believes much of the abuse comes from sports gamblers who have lost money and is concerned about the potential impact on younger players. The message Boulter received relating to her family came during her French Open first-round victory over Carole Monnet on 29 May. Boulter worries that the frequency and severity of the abuse is increasing, saying that 'I don't think there's anything off the cards now'.
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Katie Boulter opens up over ‘awful' online abuse sent to tennis players
The British tennis No 2 Katie Boulter has lifted the lid on the level of abuse aimed at some 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', one stating she should 'go to hell' as she had cost the poster money, and another stating 'hope you get cancer'. Boulter, who told the Guardian in 2024 about the harassment that can accompany a higher profile in the game, said: '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 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. She said: '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.' The message Boulter received relating to her family came during her French Open first-round victory over Carole Monnet on 29 May. And she is concerned that both the frequency and severity of the abuse is increasing and worries about the potential impact on younger players. She said: '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.'
