Hungarian tennis player receives threats to manipulate match
A Hungarian tennis player has revealed a series of alarming WhatsApp messages demanding she deliberately lose her quarter-final match at the Antalya WTA 125 tournament in Turkey, reports BritPanorama.
Panna Udvardy, 27, currently ranked 95th in the world, said the threats arrived on her personal phone from an unknown number late on Thursday evening. Following her defeat on Friday, she wrote on Instagram: “Last night around midnight I received several very disturbing messages on WhatsApp from an unknown number on my personal phone.”
“The person told me that if I didn’t lose my match, they would target my family,” she added. Udvardy further disclosed that the sender had sent photos of her family members alongside an image of a gun, which she described as “very scary.” She immediately contacted the WTA supervisor and shared screenshots of the messages, prompting her family to reach out to the local consulate for help.
In response, the Hungarian consulate in Turkey dispatched three police officers to accompany her during her subsequent match against Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina, while authorities in Hungary ensured the safety of her parents’ and grandmother’s homes. Despite these measures, Udvardy lost the contest 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 to her opponent.
After the match, she filed an official police report with Turkish authorities. The WTA has indicated that similar threats have been directed at other players, sparking an investigation into a possible leak of personal information from their database.
“I want to say something clearly: this is not normal. Even as athletes or public figures, it’s not acceptable to receive threats against our families, especially not on our private phone numbers and alongside disturbing images,” Udvardy stated. Just days earlier, Italian player Lucrezia Stefanini reported similar threats while competing at the Indian Wells tournament. Stefanini revealed that she received a WhatsApp message threatening her and her family, further underscoring the troubling trend.
Angelo Binaghi, president of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation, condemned these incidents as “intolerable” and called for stronger legal responses to protect athletes from intimidation. He stated that sending images of weapons and personal threats constitutes a serious criminal act, and demanded a robust international framework to safeguard the integrity of sports.
The incidents have raised significant concerns, as a joint report from the WTA and International Tennis Federation revealed approximately 8,000 online posts classified as abusive or threatening throughout 2024. In light of these developments, governing bodies are now exploring the use of artificial intelligence to intercept threatening communications targeting players.
This ongoing crisis in professional tennis serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities athletes face, proving that even within the realm of sports, intimidation tactics can disrupt the integrity of competition. How often the shadows of the broader world encroach upon the court, and what that scrutiny means for those competing under pressure, remains an open conversation. As one tournament ends, the dialogue around safety and fairness within the sport presses on, demanding the utmost attention.
