Jodie Burrage faces online abuse after Chennai defeat

British tennis player Jodie Burrage has spoken out about receiving abusive messages and death threats on social media following her defeat to Indian wildcard Vaishnavi Adkar in her first WTA Tour singles match in 16 months, which took place in Chennai, India. Burrage, 27, lost the match with scores of 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

After the match, she received several threatening messages from angry fans and gamblers. Despite being accustomed to online abuse, Burrage acknowledged that some messages were difficult to ignore, especially during personal and professional challenges.

She shared screenshots of the abusive messages on Instagram to raise awareness and called for stronger accountability measures from social media platforms. A report by the WTA and World Tennis revealed that angry gamblers accounted for 42% of verified online abuse during the 2025 season.

Burrage emphasized the need for identity verification on social media to deter anonymous threats and expressed her determination to focus on her career goals despite the abuse.