Tennis action progress vs online abuse
Second annual Threat Matrix report shows meaningful progress as governing bodies, investigators and technology partners work together to protect players.
Online abuse remains one of the most persistent challenges facing professional sport. But the second annual report from World Tennis and the WTA demonstrates that coordinated action - combining artificial intelligence, human expertise, investigations and real-world enforcement - can deliver measurable results.
The latest findings from Signify Group’s Threat Matrix service - supported by communicated threat experts Theseus and investigations specialists Quest - reveal significant progress during the 2025 season, with more abusive accounts removed, more offenders identified and more cases escalated to law enforcement than ever before.
Most encouragingly, 89% of the accounts responsible for serious abuse during the inaugural 2024 programme did not reappear during 2025, providing the strongest evidence yet that sustained intervention is disrupting repeat offenders.
The report builds on the pioneering partnership established between World Tennis, the WTA and Signify Group to protect players from online abuse throughout the entire season. Every WTA and World Tennis player is now covered by Threat Matrix, with AI-driven detection supported by specialist analysts monitoring conversations across X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok in 57 languages.
Protecting more than 10,000 people across the global game
The scale of the programme continues to grow.
Throughout 2025, Threat Matrix monitored more than 10,000 players and officials across the professional game, analysing more than 1.2 million social media posts and comments.
While the overwhelming majority of online conversation around tennis remains positive, our analysts verified more than 12,000 abusive posts during the year. Of those, 3,726 met the threshold for serious abuse, including violent threats, sexual abuse, racist abuse and targeted harassment requiring further investigation.
Rather than simply identifying harmful content, the programme is designed to deliver meaningful action. During the season:
66% of serious abusive posts were successfully removed from social media platforms.
35 abusive accounts, linked to 12 individuals and one verified account network, were referred to law enforcement agencies.
26 prolific abusive accounts posting more than 30 abusive messages each were removed from X and Instagram.
68 abusive accounts were fully or partially identified through specialist investigations - almost doubling the total achieved during 2024.
These outcomes reflect the strength of a coordinated approach involving governing bodies, tournament security teams, specialist investigators, social media platforms and law enforcement partners.
From online abuse to real-world intervention
Threat Matrix combines AI-powered detection with human judgement at every stage.
Machine learning rapidly identifies potentially abusive content across millions of social media interactions before Signify’s multilingual analysts assess context and severity.
Where behaviour crosses the threshold for investigation, specialist investigators and risk professionals work to identify anonymous account holders, assess any real-world risk and support appropriate enforcement action.
This capability is increasingly proving its value beyond the digital world.
One notable case during the 2025 season saw an individual identified following abusive behaviour during Roland-Garros who was subsequently intercepted at Wimbledon, questioned by security personnel and formally warned regarding their conduct. It demonstrates how intelligence gathered online can directly support venue security and player protection in the real world.
A small number of offenders continue to drive the majority of abuse
One of the clearest findings from this year’s report is that online abuse is not evenly distributed.
Just 9% of abusive accounts were responsible for 87% of all content categorised as “high concern”, while prolific offenders accounted for almost half of all abuse detected throughout the season.
These repeat offenders are also significantly more likely to post the most serious forms of abuse. Violent threats, sexual abuse and attacks targeting players’ families were between 1.5 and two times more common among prolific accounts than among the wider abusive population.
This concentration of offending behaviour highlights why identifying and disrupting repeat offenders has become one of the most effective ways of reducing harm.
The removal of every account responsible for posting more than 30 abusive messages during 2025 represents an important milestone in that strategy.
Gambling-related abuse remains the biggest challenge
The report also reinforces one of the most consistent findings from Threat Matrix over the past two seasons: gambling continues to be the single biggest driver of abuse directed at professional tennis players.
Accounts classified as angry gamblers were responsible for 42% of all verified abuse during 2025, rising to 59% of all serious abuse investigated by analysts.
Among prolific offenders, nearly two-thirds of abusive content originated from individuals whose behaviour was linked to gambling losses, while player-reported cases showed an even stronger connection, with angry gamblers responsible for more than three-quarters of reported abuse.
These findings continue to underline the importance of engaging the gambling industry alongside sports organisations, technology companies and law enforcement.
Earlier this month, Fanatics Sportsbook became the first betting operator to adopt investigative tools, including Threat Matrix, through the Bad Actor Program to identify individuals responsible for online abuse. The initiative represents an important step towards greater accountability and demonstrates how betting operators can become active partners in tackling gambling-triggered abuse.
Building one of world sport’s most advanced protection programmes
The WTA and World Tennis have consistently positioned player wellbeing at the centre of the initiative.
Beyond removing harmful content, the programme gives players confidence that concerning behaviour is being investigated, repeat offenders are being identified and, where necessary, evidence is being developed for law enforcement agencies.
For Signify Group, the programme also demonstrates what is possible when AI is combined with human expertise rather than replacing it.
Threat Matrix’s ability to process millions of posts provides the scale required to protect athletes competing around the world, while specialist analysts, investigators and risk experts provide the judgement needed to distinguish between offensive language, credible threats and behaviour requiring intervention.
It is this combination of technology and real-world expertise that continues to make the programme one of the most comprehensive athlete protection initiatives anywhere in global sport.
Looking ahead
Although the report makes clear that online abuse remains a significant issue, it also provides encouraging evidence that coordinated action is changing offender behaviour.
The fact that almost nine in ten accounts responsible for serious abuse during 2024 did not reappear in 2025 suggests that sustained monitoring, investigation and enforcement are creating meaningful deterrence.
At the same time, increasing numbers of players are choosing to report concerning communications directly through the service, demonstrating growing confidence that action will be taken.
The challenge is far from over. Continued progress will depend on collaboration between governing bodies, technology providers, social media platforms, law enforcement and the gambling industry.
But as the second annual report shows, meaningful action is possible - and when organisations work together, online abuse does not have to be accepted as an inevitable part of elite sport.
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