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(British tennis player Jodie Burrage. Credit: Sky Sports
British tennis player Jodie Burrage has received death threats and online abuse after her first WTA Tour singles match in 16 months.
The 27-year-old, who is ranked 474th in the world, lost in the first round of the Chennai Open on Tuesday.
India’s Vaishnavi Adkar came back from a set down to win 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.
Burrage later posted screenshots of abusive direct messages on her page.
Some of them included death threats.
She reacted with a bitter line, saying it was a nice welcome back to the tour and that she now remembers why she left.
German player Eva Lys showed her support by tagging the Women’s Tennis Association, WTA, and asking when action would be taken.
Burrage last played in a main draw WTA singles match at Wimbledon in July 2025, where she lost in the first round.
The case has raised fresh concern about online abuse aimed at women in tennis.
Data from Signify Group shows female players received more than 12,000 abusive posts and messages last year, with similar numbers in 2025.
The same data showed that angry gamblers were behind 42 per cent of verified abuse that year and 59 per cent of serious cases.
British player Katie Boulter has also spoken publicly about receiving death threats.
Players are now calling on social media platforms to verify users’ identities to help curb the abuse.
The WTA player council has called the abuse unacceptable and warned that it could seriously affect players.