ROME — Italian tennis participant Lucrezia Stefanini stated she and her household had been threatened after receiving a textual content message with a photograph of a gun earlier than a qualifying match for the Indian Wells match in California. This was clearly an try and affect the result for playing functions.
Stefanini defined what occurred in a BNP Paribas Open video posted to Instagram on Tuesday.
“I acquired threatening WhatsApp messages after successful yesterday’s sport. They threatened me and my household, named my dad and mom and the place I used to be born, and despatched photos of weapons,” Stefanini stated.
Stefanini, ranked 138th on the earth, misplaced to Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 within the first qualifying spherical of the WTA 1000 match, the best stage of girls’s tennis exterior of the Grand Slam tournaments and the WTA Finals.
“I do not suppose it is proper to be underneath this type of stress and anxiousness earlier than a sport, so I am making this video and explaining what occurred,” Stefanini stated. “I instantly notified the WTA they usually put in place extra security preparations. … Your complete match mobilized to make me really feel secure.
“Regardless of all the things, I fought to the top to win the match as a result of I can’t enable these folks to intimidate me.”
Angelo Binaghi, president of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation, stated the incident was “insufferable”.
“The photographs of weapons, the data of non-public data and the sending of threats in opposition to athletes point out a disturbing improve in high quality that has nothing to do with sport,” Binaghi stated.
“Those that suppose they’ll situation the sport by means of worry ought to know that they’ve entered the realm of crime,” Binaghi added. “One of these conduct deserves instant authorized motion.”
Fellow Italian participant Mattia Bellucci additionally not too long ago acquired threats by way of social media.
The Worldwide Tennis Integrity Authority, which frequently assists in investigations into match-fixing within the sport, introduced that the WTA and Worldwide Tennis Federation had tracked 8,000 on-line posts and feedback labeled as abusive, violent or threatening in 2024.
There are additionally strikes to make use of synthetic intelligence to dam threatening feedback.
Binaghi steered that along with “figuring out and punishing these accountable,” a “radically strengthened worldwide system” is required to guard the protection of athletes.
