British tennis player Jodie Burrage shares death threat message: 'I hope you kill yourself

More than 12,000 abusive posts and messages were sent to female tennis players on social media last year, according to data from the Signify Group’s threat matrix service, and Jodie Burrage’s first WTA Tour main-draw match in 16 months ended with the British player publicly sharing death threats she received in her direct messages, MARCA reported. The 27-year-old Londoner, ranked 474th in the world and Britain’s number 15, lost in the first round of the Chennai Open to India’s Vaishnavi Adkar 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, with Adkar recovering from a set down.

Burrage, whose last WTA Tour match excluding qualifying came in July 2025 when she lost to Catherine McNally in the first round at Wimbledon, posted an Instagram story showing a video scroll of the messages and wrote: “What a welcome back to the tour! Now I remember why I left. When are they going to do something about it?” Among the messages she shared, as reported by MARCA, were “I hope you go home and kill yourself, because, honestly, it’s the best thing you can do. You will never measure up to a man, bitch,” “die and cause riots in the streets,” and “you are a coward who throws in the towel. Truly, you are a disgrace to this sport. Today you got a beating, and you are precisely the reason why women’s sport is a joke.” She reported the attacks to the WTA.

Teammates and rivals rally behind Burrage as WTA faces pressure

Germany’s Eva Lys showed solidarity with Burrage, tagging the WTA from her Instagram handle and asking: “When will something be done?” The WTA’s player board has previously condemned the abuse as “unacceptable” and said its impact can be “significant,” according to the BBC. Fellow players have called for identity verification to be introduced by social media platforms to try to address the issue.

Jodie Burrage holds a tennis ball in her left with a serious expression on her face — Photo: BBC

The abuse Burrage received follows a pattern documented across the women’s game. In 2025, Britain’s Katie Boulter told BBC Sport she had received death threats, including messages such as “I hope you get cancer,” “we will desecrate your grandmother’s grave if she isn’t dead by tomorrow,” and “go to hell; I’ve lost the money my mother sent me,” MARCA reported. Coco Gauff spoke about receiving hateful comments after her semifinal loss at Wimbledon this year, and the racial abuse the 22-year-old received after the China Open has been well documented, EssentiallySports reported. Even world No. 1 Elena Rybakina took time off social media this year after the comments became too much to handle.

Gamblers drive a large share of the abuse, data shows

The Signify Group’s AI-led detection found a similar number of abusive posts in 2025 to 2024, the BBC reported. A report from the same group two years ago found that angry gamblers were behind 48% of posts deemed abusive; they accounted for 42% of verified abuse in 2025 and 59% of cases of serious abuse. The link between betting and harassment has drawn scrutiny of collaborations between betting platforms and tennis tournaments, with top players such as Jessica Pegula taking a strong stance against the US Open’s decision to partner with prediction platforms as sponsors, EssentiallySports reported.

I Remember Why I Left”- Jodie Burrage Demands WTA Action Over Hateful Messages After Chennai Open Lo

A comeback built on resilience meets a familiar wall

Burrage’s return to Tour-level tennis came after a 16-month absence driven by injuries and limited play, mostly on the ITF circuit. She has suffered serious wrist and leg injuries in her career, and told interviewers before the 2025 Australian Open: “I didn’t know how much more fight I had.” EssentiallySports noted she reached three ITF semifinals this year and entered Chennai on the back of a semifinal run at an ITF event in Wrexham, showing she can still win matches despite the first-round exit halting her progress for a bit. Her career-best ranking stands at 85, with one Tour-level final and six ITF titles.

Burrage is not alone in facing this treatment after a loss. The 2025 data shows the abuse is persistent rather than isolated, and the WTA now faces renewed calls — from Burrage directly and from Lys tagging the tour — to act on the threats players receive after matches.

British tennis player Jodie Burrage shares death threat message: 'I hope you kill yourself — Photo: EssentiallySports

Disclaimer: The analytical insights and data provided in this article are for informational and entertainment purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or sports betting recommendations.