British player targeted with death threats after loss to Indian at Chennai Open
British tennis player Jodie Burrage was subjected to death threats and online abuse after losing to India’s Vaishnavi Adkar in the first round of the Chennai Open on Tuesday.
Burrage shared screenshots of abusive direct messages on Instagram following her 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 defeat to the 21-year-old Indian. The match marked her return to the WTA Tour main draw after 16 months.
“Nice welcome back to tour. I remember why I left,” Burrage wrote alongside the screenshots. Germany’s Eva Lys also showed her support, questioning the WTA over when action would be taken against those targeting players online.
Adkar produced a remarkable fightback to secure her maiden WTA Tour-level victory. The Pune player overturned a 3-5 deficit in the deciding set, winning four consecutive games to complete the comeback in front of the home crowd.
ADKAR FIGHTS BACK
After losing the opening set, Adkar improved her returns and found greater consistency from the baseline to take the second set 6-3.
The Indian made a positive start to the decider, securing an early break and moving into a 3-1 lead. Burrage fought back, however, winning four games in a row to move within one game of victory at 5-3.
Adkar refused to give in. She broke back before putting Burrage under pressure again in the 11th game. A forehand error from the Briton handed the Indian another break, allowing her to serve for the match. Adkar held at love to seal the victory.
The contest lasted almost three hours in humid conditions. Burrage struggled with the heat and called for medical assistance, with her blood pressure and oxygen levels checked and ice applied to her arms and legs. She also appeared to struggle with her breathing towards the end.
BURRAGE HAS PREVIOUSLY FLAGGED ABUSE
The 27-year-old, who reached a career-high ranking of 85 in September 2023, is now ranked 474th in the world. Her previous WTA Tour singles appearance had come at Wimbledon last year, where she lost in the first round to American Caty McNally.
Burrage had spoken about online abuse after that defeat, saying she had to stop checking her phone. She has also urged social-media platforms and gambling companies to do more to tackle harassment.
“It’s very simple to have someone’s ID connected to their account and that would quickly stop what people write and make them more accountable,” she had said in a report by The Telegraph.
A report by the WTA and International Tennis Federation found that 458 players were direct targets of abuse in 2024. Frustrated gamblers accounted for 40 per cent of social-media abuse, rising to 77 per cent for direct messages sent to players’ personal accounts.
The WTA has previously described such abuse as “unacceptable” and acknowledged its significant impact on players.
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