A pair of women’s tennis players revealed recent separate threatening messages that included a picture of a gun and called for harm against their respective families if they did not lose their upcoming matches.
Italian Lucrezia Stefanini, the World No. 138, detailed earlier this week the threat she received prior to a match in the Indian Wells Open in California, while Hungarian Panna Udvardy, the World No. 95, detailed the harassing message sent to her before a match in the Antalya WTA 125 in Turkey.
Stefanini, 37, posted a video to Instagram on Tuesday narrating the harrowing experience.
“I received a WhatsApp message in which I was threatened over winning yesterday’s match. They threatened me and my family and named my parents, the place where I was born, and they sent me a photo of a gun,” Stefanini said in Italian, according to the Associated Press.
Stefanini ultimately lost, 6-4, 4-6, 4-6, in the qualifying round Monday to Victoria Jiménez Kasintseva.
“I’m making this video and explaining what happened because I don’t think it’s right to put me under this pressure and unease before a match,” she said in her video, per the AP. “I immediately alerted the WTA, which provided me with more security. … The entire tournament mobilized to make me feel safe.
“Despite it all, I fought until the end to try and win my match, because I can’t permit these people to intimidate me.”
Udvardy, 27, posted screenshots early Friday morning of the written threats, which included images of family members, plus the gun, which was being held by an unseen individual.
She said the messages came the previous day around midnight from an unknown number via WhatsApp.
“The person told me that if I didn’t lose my match today, they would harm members of my family. They said they knew where my family lives, what cars they drive and that they had their phone numbers. They even sent photos of my family members and a picture of a gun,” Udvardy wrote on Instagram.
“It was honestly very scary to receive something like this. I immediately contacted the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) supervisor, sent the screenshots, and informed my parents. My parents then contacted the consulate, and when I woke up this morning I also spoke again with the WTA supervisor. I was told that similar threats have recently happened to other players and that they believe personal information may have leaked from the WTA database, which is currently being investigated.”
Udvardy said the consulate provided a swift response and sent three police officers to her match, which she appreciated, and police went to her parents’ and grandparents’ respective houses.
She said she filed a police report in Turkey after her match Friday.
Udvardy defeated Polina Kudermetova, 6-4, 7-6, in the Round of 16 on Thursday before losing to Anhelina Kalinina, 7-6, 7-5, in the quarterfinals Friday.
“But 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. We should not normalize abuse like this in sport,” she wrote.
“I hope the WTA continues investigating this situation seriously and takes stronger steps to protect players personal data and safety and to inform players immediately if there is a breach in their system. No player should have to deal with something like this.”
Angelo Binaghi, the president of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation, called for legal action to be taken due to the “intolerable” situation.
Italian men’s tennis player Mattia Belucci reportedly also received similar threats recently.
“Sending images of weapons, knowledge of personal information and intimidation toward an athlete marks an increase of disturbing quality that doesn’t have anything to do with sports,” Binaghi said, according to the AP. “Whoever thinks they can condition a match through fear … should know that they have entered criminal territory. This kind of behavior deserves an immediate legal response.”
