British player receives death threats after losing 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 the harassing direct messages on Instagram after losing 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to the 21-year-old Indian. The match marked her return to the main draw of the WTA Tour after 16 months.

“Nice welcome back to the tour. I remember why I left,” Burrage wrote alongside the screenshots. Germany’s Eva Lys also showed her support, questioning the WTA about when action would be taken against those targeting players online.

Adkar put up a remarkable fight to secure her first win at the WTA Tour level. The Pune player overcame a 3-5 deficit in the deciding set to win four consecutive games to complete the comeback in front of the home crowd.

ADKAR IS FIGHTING

After losing the opening set, Adkar improved her returns and found more consistency from the baseline to take the second set 6-3.

The Indian started the decider on a positive note, securing an early break to take a 3-1 lead. However, Burrage fought back, winning four straight games to move within one game of the win to 5–3.

Adkar refused to give up. She broke before putting Burrage under pressure again in the 11th game. A forehand error from the Brit gave the Indian another break to serve out for the match. Adkar fell to love to seal the win.

The competition lasted almost three hours in a humid environment. Struggling with the heat, Burrage called 911, who checked her blood pressure and oxygen levels and applied ice to her hands and feet. He also seemed to be struggling to breathe towards the end.

BURRAGE HAS EARNED THE ABUSE

The 27-year-old, who reached a career high of 85 in September 2023, is now ranked 474 in the world. Her previous WTA Tour singles appearance came last year at Wimbledon, where she lost in the first round to American Caty McNally.

Burrage spoke out about online abuse after that defeat and said she had to stop checking her phone. She also called on social media platforms and gambling companies to do more to combat harassment.

“It’s very simple to have someone’s ID linked to their account and that would quickly stop what people write and make them more accountable,” she said in a report by The Telegraph.

A report by the WTA and the International Tennis Federation found that 458 players were direct targets of abuse in 2024. Frustrated players accounted for 40 percent of social media abuse, with a 77 percent increase in direct messages sent to players’ personal accounts.

The WTA has previously called such abuse “unacceptable” and acknowledged its significant impact on players.

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