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The Guardian
6 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
The making of Jack Draper: from teen ‘maniac' to Wimbledon title contender
Towards the end of 2018, a relatively unknown 16-year-old British tennis player took some of his first strides on the professional tennis circuit in a $15,000 (£11,000) tournament in Lagos, Nigeria on the ITF World Tennis Tour. Earlier that summer, Jack Draper had offered a glimpse into his considerable potential with a run to the Wimbledon boys' final and his encouraging first tussles against adult opposition had earned him a modest ATP ranking of No 623. 'I was very different then,' Draper says, smiling. 'A bit of a maniac, to be honest.' Those experiences were key in his development for various reasons. He ended that tournament by winning his third consecutive title, offering him more reason to believe he was on the right path. Along the way, he gained some essential perspective. 'I'd have a wet [racket] grip, because it was so humid there. I'd put it in a bin and the kids were fighting over it. Just the energy from the people there, they were really passionate about tennis,' says Draper. 'To go to those sorts of places was definitely … going from the UK and having a lot of, I guess, things given to me, it definitely helped the way I saw life.' As Draper arrives at Wimbledon as the fourth best player in the world, and seeks out his first deep run at his home grand slam tournament, the 23-year-old's disposition in his youth underlines just how far he has come. During his formative years, he was smaller than many contemporaries and his only route to victory was through grinding, scrapping and outsmarting his rivals. His teenage growth spurt was a transformative event in his career and he now stands at an imposing 1.93m (6ft 4in). That dramatic physical change has allowed Draper to build one of the most well-rounded games on the tour. Although he is now a more offensive player, he has retained his excellent defensive skills from his youth. Draper's wicked, varied lefty serve is one of his most pronounced strengths, even though its consistency is still a work in progress. While many big servers tend to not return as well, Draper is an even more effective returner. His two-handed backhand was the foundation of his success during his youth, but he now looks to dominate with his heavy topspin forehand. He can still draw out errors from behind the baseline even though he has grown comfortable with attempting to dominate all opponents. Draper's affinity for using drop shots and his comfort around the net also provide him with more options than most players to finish any given point. 'You're scared of his forehand because he rips it cross, rips it down the line,' says the three-time grand slam finalist Casper Ruud. 'You're also, in a way, scared of his backhand because he can rip and counter from that side as well. So there aren't many holes in his game that I see or that I feel.' According to Tennis Viz, which uses data metrics to quantify the quality of strokes, Draper is the only player other than the world No 1, Jannik Sinner, to average a rating of more than eight (out of 10) for serve, return, forehand and backhand quality this year. For Draper, being a complete player has been the goal all along. 'When I was younger, I was always thinking: 'If I'm going to be a top player, if I'm going to play someone, what do I want them to think?'' says Draper. 'And I want them to think: 'He has no weaknesses,' because I know that if I play someone who has no weaknesses, I'd be feeling a lot of pressure. So I suppose that's the goal I want to get to. I'm still not fully there, but I'm wanting to get to that.' Of all the shots in his arsenal, Draper's forehand has changed and improved more than anything else. A natural right-hander, his two-handed backhand has always been his most instinctive and reliable groundstroke. When they began working together in 2021, Draper and his coach, James Trotman, spent significant time discussing how to improve his forehand. 'The forehand was an area that I always thought could be a weapon, but it was a weakness as well,' he says. 'Any time anyone would rush it, it would not hold up. I wasn't able to get through the ball as much as I wanted to. We worked on my body positions, how I'm going to be able to come forward. There's a big misconception that to be a top player your forehand has to look a certain way. I don't think that's the truth. You just have to hit the ball in front and learn how to use your body to be effective.' While his forehand is still a work in progress, it has been a decisive factor in his recent success. He has long possessed one of the heaviest forehands in the game, with the stroke averaging 3,158 revolutions per minute (rpm) over the past year, far above the tour average of 2,844rpm, but this year he has been determined to flatten the stroke out, look to dominate opponents with it and attack more frequently down the line. His forehand quality has increased from 7.6 to 7.9, elevating it from 25th on the tour last year to 14th in 2025. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Possessing such a varied skill set is clearly an asset to any player, but for a long time Draper still could not find his identity on the court. Last year, as he still struggled to shake off his defensive instincts, Draper hired the former top 10 player Wayne Ferreira as a supplementary coach alongside Trotman. After years of being instructed to play the brand of ultra-offensive tennis befitting a big man, he tried it out. 'I was in a bit of a crisis last year thinking: 'Where's my game going to go? What do I need to change?'' Draper says. 'Then I did certain things and I tried to maybe go to the opposite end of the spectrum and try and hit every ball as hard as I can, and return up the court and do all these things, but it didn't really work, that experiment.' Although he won his first ATP title in Stuttgart during this period, Draper suffered a first-round loss at the French Open followed by a miserable second-round defeat at Wimbledon by Cameron Norrie. By the end of the summer, the experiment was over. The experience taught him that he could find a greater balance between attack and defence in his game, but also a fundamental lesson that he will never forget: he should always trust himself. 'It got to the point where maybe I was thinking that I needed to do something drastic to be a top player,' he says. 'The truth was I just needed to be consistent, trust the work that I was doing, and know that with the right mentality and doing things well day in, day out and preparing the best I can for competitions, that's going to just help me to find more consistency and be the top player I wanted to be. So it feels good to have gone on that journey and realised that it's just hard work, really.'
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First Post
a day ago
- Sport
- First Post
Explained: Tennis' plan to work with betting companies to reduce abuse of female players
With British tennis star Katie Boulter opening up on abuse from faceless social media trolls, many of which contained references to betting, the WTA and ITF have decided to approach gambling companies for a solution to what is a major problem in sport. read more The WTA and ITF had published a report recently which revealed that 458 players were the targets of abuse last year. Reuters Online abuse directed towards athletes has become a major problem in sport with the advent of social networking platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) in the 2000s. And the issue becomes even more concerning when it's female athletes who are targeted by faceless trolls on social media. The sport of tennis isn't any different, where British star Katie Boulter has admitted to receiving death threats and explicit pictures from trolls, where a report published recently by Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) revealed that 458 players had been targeted last year. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The report used an AI-led detection system developed by the Signify Group which found that frustrated gamblers accounted for nearly half (40 per cent) of the social media abuse, which rose to 77 per cent when it came to abuse directed towards the personal accounts of players. A worrying 26 per cent of that abuse were directed towards five female players, the report added. Tennis chiefs approach gambling firms in order to tackle online abuse As many as 15 of the worst offenders have been reported to police and other law enforcement agencies, according to The Guardian, and they have also been banned from buying tickets for the four Grand Slams as well as for ATP and WTA tour events. The spotlight, however, has fallen on betting companies and their reluctance to take action against punters venting their frustrations on social media, often at the expense of a player's mental well-being. According to the British publication, the WTA and ITF have intensified their talks gambling companies have deepened since the report was published by the two tennis organisations, urging them to fund educational campaigns in addition to taking stern action. The talks have been met with a degree of success, with some betting organisations are willing to take action against accounts belonging to those guilty of social media abuse. For instance, FanDuel – US-based gambling company that is WTA's official gaming partner in the United States – has altered its terms and conditions earlier this week which gives them the right to suspend accounts found guilty of harassing athletes, with the definition of harassment also getting broadened. 'We may, in our sole discretion, suspend or terminate your Account and/or exclude you from our services if we determine that you pose a threat to the safety of participants in a sporting event, or discover that you engaged in the harassment of a sports official, coach or any participant in a sporting event,' read a statement from FanDuel in an email to its users. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'The report has brought about a constructive conversation with the betting industry. We will continue to push for the industry to do more as part of a collective effort to rid tennis of betting-related abuse. We hope the gambling industry responds constructively to our call for more action on their par,' a spokesperson for WTA and ITF said. British star Boulter opens up on online abuse British No 2 Boulter, for one, had revealed to the BBC that many of the abusive messages that she receives on social media appear contained references to gambling. British tennis star Katie Boulter had opened up on facing social media abuse in a recent interview with BBC. Reuters 'Go to hell, I lost money my mother sent me,' was one of the messages received by Boulter after she had lost the first-set tie-breaker in her opening round-tie against Carole Monnet at the French Open. 'At the very start of my career, it's probably something I took very personally… getting comments about the way you look,' Boulter told BBC. 'It becomes more apparent every single time you go on your phone. '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,' she added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Indian sports wrap, June 21: Women wrestlers win team title at U23 Asian Championship
WRESTLING U-23 Asian Championship: India tops team rankings in freestyle and women's sections Indian freestyle wrestlers collected five more gold medals and a silver at the Asian under-23 championships in Vung Tau, Vietnam, on Saturday. Nikhil (61kg) beat Kazakhstan's Merey Bazarbayev 7-2, Sujeet Kalkal (65kg) outclassed Uzbekistan's Umidjon Jalolov 10-0, Jaideep (74kg) got the better of another Uzbek Zafarbek Otakhonov 7-0, Chandermohan (79kg) defeated Turkmenistan's Alp Begenjov 5-2 and Sachin (92kg) beat Mongolia's Demchigdorj Tumurbaatar 5-2 in their respective summit clashes to claim the top honour. Jaspooran Singh (125kg) took silver. India finished atop team rankings in freestyle (six gold and a silver) and women (four gold, five silver and a bronze) sections and ended up fourth in Greco Roman (one gold and two bronze). - Y.B. Sarangi TENNIS Sahaja reaches semifinals at ITF event in US Sahaja Yamalapalli beat Julia Garcia 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 to reach the semifinals of the $30,000 ITF women's tennis tournament in Wichita, USA. Prajwal Dev and Nitin Kumar Sinha won the doubles title in the $15,000 men's event in Tunisia. RESULTS €54,000 Challenger, Royan, France Doubles (final): Matej Dodig & Nino Serdarusic (Cro) bt Adil Kalyanpur & Parikshit Somani 7-5, 6-7(4), [12-10]. $15,000 ITF men, Monastir, Tunisia Doubles (final): Prajwal Dev & Nitin Kumar Sinha bt Matthew Rankin & Marcus Walters (GBR) 6-4, 6-4. $30,000 ITF women, Wichita, USA Singles (quarterfinals): Sahaja Yamalapalli bt Julia Garcia (Mex) 1-6, 6-2, 6-4. $30,000 ITF women, Tauste, Spain Doubles (final): Hiromi Abe & Kanako Morisaki (Jpn) bt Rutuja Bhosale & Ankita Raina 6-3, 6-2. $15,000 ITF women, Monastir, Tunisia Singles (semifinals): Tahila Kokkinis (Aus) bt Zeel Desai 7-6(7), 3-6, 6-3. - Team Sportstar SWIMMING National Aquatics Championships: Last chance for Indian swimmers to qualify for World C'ships Top swimmers of the country, including Paris Olympians Srihari Natraj and Dhinidhi Desinghu, and Sajan Prakash, Aryaan Mehra, Kushagra Rawat, Shoan Ganguly and Hashika Ramachandra, will be seen in action in the National aquatics championships starting at the Kalinga Stadium Aquatic Centre in Bhubaneswar on Saturday. While Dhinidhi will return to the Nationals after skipping the last edition, in order to prepare for the Olympics, Srihari will compete in only one event, 50m backstroke, as he will train for next month's World University Games (WUG) in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany. 'The timing of the Nationals does not suit me as I am looking at peaking for the World University Games in two weeks. Had I competed in all five days, I would have lost a minimum of 10 days of training for the WUG,' said Srihari, who recently set the best Indian time for 200m freestyle. Following a sensational performance of winning 11 medals, including nine gold, in the Uttarakhand National Games in January, Dhinidhi will be brimming with confidence. Sajan, who made a comeback in the National Games after a break, wants to clock a sub-two minute time in his main event, 200m butterfly. The championships assumes importance as it will serve as the last qualifying event (before the cut-off date of June 29) for the World championships to be held in Singapore next month. Besides, it will serve as a screening event for the selection of swimmers for the National camp leading up to the Asian championships to be held in Ahmedabad from October 1 to 15. Swimmers doing well in this championships will also be picked for the World junior championships in Romania (August) and the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain (October). - Y.B. Sarangi GOLF Aditi Ashok misses cut in tough conditions at KPMG PGA Champs Indian golfer Aditi Ashok missed the cut in the KPMG Women's PGA Championship after a second round 11-over 83 in tough conditions at the Fields Ranch East course in Frisco. It was the first time in a Major that Aditi, who had a first round 81, shot successive rounds in the 80s. She had nine bogeys and a double and no birdies. She failed to get a single birdie over two days. - PTI Bhatia placed Tied 35th at Travelers Championship Akshay Bhatia landed an eagle courtesy two great shots on the sixth but still managed only an even par 70 for the second day running in the Travelers Championship where he is now placed Tied-35th in the United States. Indian-American Bhatia, fighting for a place in the Fedex Cup play-offs, birdied the third and eagled the sixth but dropped one shot on the fourth and a double on the 17th. Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler dropped a late double bogey, but carded 1-under 69 and still kept a share of the lead alongside Justin Thomas (64) and Tommy Fleetwood (65). The trio is at 9-under. Scheffler had led after the first day 8-under. He had an early bogey on the sixth and then four birdies to move to 11-under and sole lead before he dropped a double on the Par-4 17th. When Thomas and Scheffler are paired in the third round, it will be the first time since they played the first two rounds at the Masters. -PTI Saptak Talwar moves to tied 9th spot on Hotel Planner Tour Saptak Talwar played a second successive round of 1-under 69 to move up to tied 9th on the leaderboard at Blot Play9 on the Hotel Planner Tour at Pleneuf Val Andre in France. In his second round at Bluegreen de Pleneuf Val Andre, Talwar started the day on the back nine and made birdies on the 11th and 15th holes with bogeys on the 14th and 16th. On the front nine he managed to birdie the sixth hole. Talwar will be hoping to convert his 36 hole position into a strong finish. Talwar was two under after this round. The 40-year-old James Morrison found some form as he played a bogey free round of 4-under 66 to take the lead. Having won twice on the DP World Tour the Englishman had rolled back the years and displayed some of his form from the past with birdies on the first, seventh, 11th and 15th holes. Morrison now sits at 10-under and is three strokes clear of the field. In second place is Matthis Besard of Belgium, who has played rounds of 66 and 67 to put himself at seven under at the end of the second day. Day one leader Max Kennedy struggled and carded 6-over 76 to slip down to tied third in the standings. -PTI Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech: Khalin Joshi equals course record to move into top-three India's Khalin Joshi matched the course record as he shot 9-under 63 to move into third position after day two of the Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech. Joshi, who carded 1-under 71 on the first day, is now 10-under at the Samanah Golf Club. Indian-American Varun Chopra (67-66) shared the lead with Moroccan Ayoub Lguirati (67-66) at 11-under after two rounds. Joshi made 10 birdies in his round and looked good to set a course record before he had his only bogey of the day -- on the 18th -- as his shot landed in a bunker. The other Indian in the top-10 is Karandeep Kochhar, who shot 5-under 67 to move up the leaderboard to tied ninth with a total of seven under. Ajeetesh Sandhu played a round of 2-under 70 to move up one position into tied 12th and has a total of six under. Rahil Gangjee and Arjun Sharma are placed tied-36th with a 36-hole score of three under. Gangjee played a second round of 5-under 67, while Sharma played 4-under 68. Aman Raj also made the cut, shooting a 5-under 67 to move into tied 49th with a two-day total of two under. S Chikkarangappa (75-69) and Pukhraj Singh Gill (76-72) missed the cut. First day leader, Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij struggled on day two as he shot 1-over 73 to slip to tied fourth and has a two day total of eight under. -PTI CHESS GM Lalit Babu in joint lead after round 5 Grandmaster Lalit Babu MR of Andhra Pradesh and IM Arsen Davtyan of Armenia maintained their perfect 5/5 record to share the joint lead after round 5 of the Aurionpro International Grandmaster and Junior Chess Tournament at the World Trade Centre. The Junior tournament also heated up, with top seed and FM Aansh Nerurkar of Mumbai and CM Madhesh sharing the top spot with 5 points after 5 rounds. The two leaders face off in Round 6, which should help in identifying the sole leader. While GM Lalit Babu outmanoeuvred GM Nguyen Duc Hoa in a positional grind from the English Opening, IM Arsen Davtyan defeated GM Nikitenko Mihail using the Long Castle Variation in the King's Indian Defence. GM tournament leaders after 5 rounds: GM Lalit Babu and IM Arsenal Davtyan 5/5 Chasing the Leaders (4.5/5): GM Levan Pantsulaia GM Luka Paichadze GM Mamikon Garibyan IM Alexander Slizhevsky GM Aleksej Alexandro IM Buddhidhama Nayaka - Team Sportstar HOCKEY Hockey India Masters Cup: Odisha, Punjab win in women's category; Chandigarh, TN win in men's Day four of the inaugural Hockey India Masters Cup 2025 saw some exciting matches as Odisha and Punjab in the women's category secured another victory in the tournament. In the men's category, Chandigarh and Tamil Nadu had an eventful day after registering win in their respective matches. In the first match today, Odisha defeated Tamil Nadu 2-1 in a closely contest, in the women's category. Sarita Lakra (17', 27') scored a match winning brace for Odisha while Saumya (28') tried to narrow down the goal difference with her consolation goal for TN. In the last match of the day, Tamil Nadu defeated Andhra Pradesh 11-0, in the men's category. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement In the other match, Punjab defeated Haryana 1-0 in a nail-biting thriller, in the women's category. It was captain Amandeep Kaur (52') who finally managed to sneak past Haryana's defence and scored the only goal of the match for Punjab. In the first match of the men's category, Chandigarh defeated Manipur 5-1. Sanjiv Kumar (19'), Harvinder Singh (23'), Ravinder Singh (24'), Vikram Saini (49') and Amitsingh Rajput (58') scored one goal each for Chandigarh. On the other hand, Pangambam Priyokumar Singh (25') could only score for Manipur. In the last match of the day, Tamil Nadu defeated Andhra Pradesh 11-0, in the men's category. Captain Adam Antony Sinclair (9', 38') and Cedric Marcellin D Cruz (43', 52') together scored four out of the eleven goals in the match. Besides the same, Raman R (3'), Govthaman (13'), Sudharsan S (20'), Ramesh Nallamuthu (22'), Vinothkumar (30'), Ramadoss V (52') and Vinoth Kumar AP (57') also contributed with one goal each to take the game further away from Andhra Pradesh. - Team Sportstar RUGBY Chennai Bulls clinches comeback win; Hyderabad Heros extends winning streak in RPL Chennai Bulls returned to winning ways during Season 1 of the GMR Rugby Premier League, as it overcame a 17-point difference to win 31-24 against the Bengaluru Bravehearts at the Andheri Sports Complex in Mumbai on Saturday. The Chennai Bulls drew first blood on the night as Joseva Talacolo went over the line at a good pace, and Joaquin Pellandini converted from close range. The Bulls, who had started the season brightly, were looking to return to winning ways, but the Bravehearts, who had defeated them in the return fixture, were up for the challenge. Philip Wokorach and Tone Shiu scored a couple of tries each while Akuila Rokolisoa converted his kicks as the Bravehearts roared back and stormed into the lead. At half-time, the Bravehearts led 24-7. In the next four minutes, the contest turned on its head - Terry Kennedy and Joseva Talacolo – added a try each for the Bulls, and Filipe Sauturaga was on hand to convert his kicks. With a quarter to go, the Bulls led by 2. Vaafauese Maliko got himself on the scoresheet in the final few minutes as the Bulls ensured the comeback would not be thwarted. Eventually, the Bulls walked off with all the points in their bag. Hyderabad Heroes rode on the brilliance of Javed Hussain, who led the line from the front, and went on to win 24-17 against the Mumbai Dreamers. Hyderabad Heroes is now the only team to be unbeaten, winning its first five games. Hussain, who made a brilliant individual run to get the try, after which Terio Tamani wasted no time in completing the conversion. After that, Akash Balmiki's try brought the Mumbai Dreamers some joy. However, that was short-lived as Hussain's second try gave the Heroes some breathing space. The Dreamers were not throwing in the towel just yet as Elias Hancock ran through and over the line, and Akash Balmiki added two more points to the tally. At half-time it was 12-12, with all to play for. Early in the second half, Nayan K dashed ahead of Hyderabad's defence, to give the Dreamers a slender 5-point lead. But, off the very next play, the Heroes had Kevin Wekesa scoring an important try, to level things up. From then on, the Heroes absorbed the pressure from the Dreamers and then Wolfram Hacker scored a try, and Terio Tamani wrapped up the win with the conversion. The win means the Heroes go top of the table, overtaking the Chennai Bulls. -Team Sportstar CUE SPORT Chawla, Advani to lead India's charge in Asian Snooker Reigning IBSF World 6-Red snooker champion Kamal Chawla and multiple-time IBSF World champion Pankaj Advani will lead India's challenge at the ACBS Asian 6-Red Snooker Championship and the Asian Team Snooker (15-Red) Championship, beginning in Colombo on Sunday. Besides seasoned Chawla, reigning national champion Paras Gupta and Pushpender Singh are the other Indians who will compete in the shorter version of snooker in the continental bash. Advani will look to help India regain the team championship that begins on Thursday. Brijesh Damani, who was part of the team that won the title two years ago in Iran, and former pro and World Games gold medallist Aditya Mehta are the other members of the formidable three-member team. The 45-year-old Chawla's maiden World 6-Red triumph last year in Mongolia is a testimony to his good form. The veteran, a three-time bronze medallist in the continental event, will look to go all the way this time. 'I am going in with no expectations. I will take it one frame and one match at a time,' Chawla said. Gupta, the National Games (Goa) gold medallist and a finalist of the longer version of snooker at the Nationals in 2023, will certainly be watched with interest. The squads: Asian 6-Red Snooker: (June 22-26): Kamal Chawla, Paras Gupta, Pushpender Singh. 15-Red Snooker Team (June 26-28): Pankaj Advani, Brijesh Damani, Aditya Mehta. -PTI
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Tennis chiefs lobby gambling firms to close accounts of punters abusing women players
Tennis authorities are lobbying gambling firms to close the betting accounts of punters found to have sent abusive messages to women players, with one American gaming company this week already warning its customers they will do so. A report from the Women's Tennis Association [WTA] and International Tennis Federation [ITF] published last week revealed that 458 players were direct targets of abuse last year, with the British No 2, Katie Boulter, telling the BBC she has been sent death threats and explicit pictures by online trolls. The report, produced using an AI-led detection system developed by the Signify Group, found that 40 per cent of the social media abuse came from frustrated gamblers, a figure that rose to 77 per cent for direct abuse towards players' personal accounts. More than 8,000 posts sent from 4,200 accounts were identified as abusive, with 26 per cent of the offensive messages directed at five women players. Fifteen of the worst offenders have been reported to the police and other law enforcement agencies, while they have also been banned from buying tickets for Grand Slam tournaments and for ATP and WTA tour events, but there is frustration in tennis at betting companies' apparent reluctance to take action. READ MORE Talks between the WTA, ITF and gambling companies have intensified since the report was published last week however, with some operators indicating a willingness to suspend accounts held by social media abusers. In addition to betting bans, the authorities also want gambling companies to fund industry-wide educational campaigns about online hate. FanDuel, a US-based gambling company, is understood to have altered its terms and conditions earlier this week, giving them the right to suspend customers who harass athletes, as well as broadening the definition of harassment. In an email sent to its database of users on June 24th, FanDuel drew customers' attention to a new clause in its rules, which states: 'We may, in our sole discretion, suspend or terminate your Account and/or exclude you from our services if we determine that you pose a threat to the safety of participants in a sporting event, or discover that you engaged in the harassment of a sports official, coach or any participant in a sporting event.' FanDuel is the WTA's official gaming partner in the United States. Under the terms of that deal the WTA has granted FanDuel use of its official scoring data, giving it a potential timing advantage over competitors, while the gaming company also has the rights to use video highlights on its digital platforms. The British Gambling Commission is also understood to be involved in the discussions on getting more betting companies to ban abusers. One proposal being considered is for the commission's self-exclusion database, a tool designed to ensure operators are not targeting problem gamblers, to be used to list punters who have sent abusive messages to players. A spokesperson for the WTA and ITF said: 'The report has brought about a constructive conversation with the betting industry. We will continue to push for the industry to do more as part of a collective effort to rid tennis of betting-related abuse. We hope the gambling industry responds constructively to our call for more action on their part.' Boulter's revelations last week caused shock and dismay throughout tennis. One message sent to the 28-year-old during the French Open, read: 'Hope you get cancer'. Another told her: 'Go to hell. I lost money my mother sent me'. While a third instructed her to buy 'candles and a coffin for your entire family' and threatened to damage her 'grandmother's grave if she's not dead by tomorrow'. In an interview with the BBC earlier this week the two-times Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur called on the betting companies to ban abusers from their platforms for life. 'I feel like we've been talking about this for a long time, but not a lot changes,' she said. 'The big problem is the betting. The betting companies need to vet these people and look at their social media. If they attack players on social media they should be banned from betting for their whole life.' – Guardian
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Tennis chiefs lobby gambling firms to close accounts of punters abusing female players
Tennis authorities are lobbying gambling firms to close the betting accounts of punters found to have sent abusive messages to female players, with one American gaming company this week already warning its customers they will do so. A report from the Women's Tennis Association [WTA] and International Tennis Federation [ITF] published last week revealed that 458 players were direct targets of abuse last year, with the British No 2, Katie Boulter, telling the BBC she has been sent death threats and explicit pictures by online trolls. The report, produced using an AI-led detection system developed by the Signify Group, found that 40% of the social media abuse came from frustrated gamblers, a figure that rose to 77% for direct abuse towards players' personal accounts. More than 8,000 posts sent from 4,200 accounts were identified as abusive, with 26% of the offensive messages directed at five female players. Fifteen of the worst offenders have been reported to the police and other law enforcement agencies, while they have also been banned from buying tickets for grand slam tournaments and for ATP and WTA tour events, but there is frustration in tennis at betting companies' apparent reluctance to take action. The Guardian has learned that talks between the WTA, ITF and gambling companies have intensified since the report was published last week however, with some operators indicating a willingness to suspend accounts held by social media abusers. In addition to betting bans, the authorities also want gambling companies to fund industry-wide educational campaigns about online hate. FanDuel, a US-based gambling company, is understood to have altered its terms and conditions earlier this week, giving them the right to suspend customers who harass athletes, as well as broadening the definition of harassment. In an email sent to its database of users on 24 June FanDuel drew customers' attention to a new clause in its rules, which states: 'We may, in our sole discretion, suspend or terminate your Account and/or exclude you from our services if we determine that you pose a threat to the safety of participants in a sporting event, or discover that you engaged in the harassment of a sports official, coach or any participant in a sporting event.' FanDuel is the WTA's official gaming partner in the United States. Under the terms of that deal the WTA has granted FanDuel use of its official scoring data, giving it a potential timing advantage over competitors, while the gaming company also has the rights to use video highlights on its digital platforms. The Gambling Commission is also understood to be involved in the discussions on getting more betting companies to ban abusers. One proposal being considered is for the commission's self-exclusion database, a tool designed to ensure operators are not targeting problem gamblers, to be used to list punters who have sent abusive messages to players. A spokesperson for the WTA and ITF said: 'The report has brought about a constructive conversation with the betting industry. We will continue to push for the industry to do more as part of a collective effort to rid tennis of betting-related abuse. We hope the gambling industry responds constructively to our call for more action on their part.' Boulter's revelations last week caused shock and dismay throughout tennis. One message sent to the 28-year-old during the French Open, read: 'Hope you get cancer'. Another told her: 'Go to hell. I lost money my mother sent me.' While a third instructed her to buy 'candles and a coffin for your entire family' and threatened to damage her 'grandmother's grave if she's not dead by tomorrow'. In an interview with the BBC earlier this week the two-times Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur called on the betting companies to ban abusers from their platforms for life. 'I feel like we've been talking about this for a long time, but not a lot changes,' she said. 'The big problem is the betting. The betting companies need to vet these people and look at their social media. If they attack players on social media they should be banned from betting for their whole life.'
