More than 85 per cent of men’s tennis players who attracted engagement online faced social media abuse over the past year, according to the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). The governing body said its Safe Sport initiative blocked approximately 234,000 abusive comments from reaching players and fans.
The findings are based on an analysis of more than 3.7 million comments across ATP and player social media channels. The programme uses artificial intelligence (AI)-powered moderation and specialist threat assessment to identify and address online harassment.
ATP Identifies More Than 284,000 Abusive Comments
According to the ATP, its monitoring programme identified more than 284,000 abusive comments during the reporting period. More than 82 per cent of these comments were removed in real time.
During its first year, the Safe Sport initiative also identified and concealed more than 162,000 comments containing severe abuse.
The programme aims to create a safer online environment for professional tennis players by detecting harmful content before it reaches its intended targets.
ATP Emphasises Player Welfare and Online Safety
Andrew Azzopardi, the ATP’s director of safeguarding, said player welfare remains central to the organisation’s safeguarding efforts.
He highlighted the impact of the initiative, noting that preventing more than 234,000 abusive comments from reaching players and fans demonstrates the programme’s effectiveness.
Azzopardi also stressed that online abuse has no place in tennis. The ATP plans to continue investing in technology, specialist expertise and partnerships to protect players and work with authorities to hold offenders accountable.
Tennis Players Face Abuse From Anonymous Users and Bettors
Online harassment has become a persistent concern for professional athletes, including tennis players who frequently receive abusive messages from anonymous social media users.
Some of these messages come from frustrated bettors who lose money after backing players to win matches.
French tennis player Gaël Monfils highlighted the issue after an early defeat in Stuttgart last year. He humorously responded to critics and expressed surprise that people continued betting on him against much younger opponents.
However, online abuse extends beyond sporting results and gambling-related frustration.
Coco Gauff Reports Racist Abuse at China Open
American tennis star Coco Gauff recently revealed that she received an alarming amount of racist abuse during the China Open. Her comments prompted condemnation from the United Nations Human Rights Office.
The incident highlighted the wider problem of racism and hate speech directed at athletes through digital platforms.
Such cases have increased calls for sports organisations and social media platforms to strengthen their monitoring systems and take quicker action against abusive content.
Tennis Organisations Expand AI-Powered Protection
The ATP is not the only organisation taking steps to protect players from online harassment.
World Tennis, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the All England Club and the United States Tennis Association have introduced monitoring services that combine artificial intelligence with open-source data to identify potential threats and abusive content.
The French Open has also made AI-powered software available to players, allowing them to block online harassment and hate speech.
Online Abuse Remains a Challenge for Professional Tennis
The latest ATP findings highlight the scale of online harassment facing professional tennis players and the growing role of technology in addressing it.
Although AI-powered moderation can help identify and remove abusive messages, sports organisations continue to face the challenge of keeping pace with evolving forms of online abuse.
The ATP has pledged to strengthen its safeguarding measures and work with relevant authorities to improve player protection, reinforcing the importance of making tennis safer both on and off the court.