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Britain's Jodie Burrage is receiving support from the WTA after receiving death threats and vile messages following a three-set first-round defeat at the Chennai Open.
Burrage shared a screen recording of the influx of abuse she received via Instagram DMs following her 3-6 6-3 7-5 loss to Vaishnavi Adkar and wrote: "Nice welcome back to the tour. I remember why I left."
In 2023, the WTA joined forces with World Tennis (formerly the ITF), the All England Club and the USTA to launch the Threat Matrix service, monitoring abusive messages players and their loved ones received online.
And the women's tennis tour has also confirmed that it offered extendes support to Burrage. A WTA spokesperson said: "Protecting players and the wider tennis family from online threats and abuse is a key priority for the WTA. We have WTA staff on the ground in Chennai offering Jodie support, along with our wider player welfare and Threat Matrix team.
"Through Threat Matrix, a system we established in 2023, delivered by Signify Group alongside World Tennis, we identify, investigate and take action against those responsible. This includes reporting abusive content for removal, escalating serious cases to law enforcement and supporting action to prevent real-world harm.
"As much of the abuse players receive comes through direct messages, the WTA has offered Jodie additional support, including a private channel to report abusive direct messages, and moderation that hides abusive comments on public channels before she sees them. Threat Matrix is also reporting the abuse Jodie received to the platforms, and investigations are underway to identify those responsible. Where the abuse is linked to betting, they will be added to the Bad Actor programme so betting operators can act against their accounts."