Published on: March 9, 2026, 10:58 AM.

Updated on: March 9, 2026, 10:58 AM.

• Players faced death threats urging them to intentionally lose their matches during tournaments.
• The threats contained images of firearms and intimate details regarding players’ families.
  
• These events underscore the escalating issues of gambling exploitation and match-fixing in tennis.

A concerning series of death threats directed at women’s tennis competitors, demanding they forfeit matches, suggests a potential security breach within the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).

Hungarian player Panna Udvardy, ranked No. 95 in the world, revealed via Instagram on Friday that she received a threatening message from an unidentified number with a UK area code instructing her to lose her WTA 125 quarterfinal match against Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina in Antalya, Turkey.

The message warned that if she did not comply, her family would be endangered.

‘Prepared for Battle’

“We have two groups nearby Hungary prepared for battle if necessary,” the sender cautioned.

“They claimed to know where my family resides, the cars they use, and even their phone numbers,” Udvardy stated. “They sent images of my family members and a firearm. Receiving something like this was genuinely terrifying.”

Udvardy, who ultimately lost the match 7-6 (7-3) 7-5, was the second female tennis player to report receiving a threat that week. Italian player Lucrezia Stefanini, ranked No. 138, recounted a similar frightening incident before her qualifying match at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, where she was also shown a gun image and had her family threatened.

Upon reporting the threat to the WTA, Udvardy was informed that other players had also come forward, prompting an inquiry into a possible data breach. The WTA later communicated to its players that no confirmed breach had occurred and that the FBI was looking into the origins of the messages.

Targeting Women Athletes

The surge in sports betting has led to an increase in online harassment of athletes, with female tennis players being disproportionately affected, according to recent research.

Tennis has historically faced issues with match-fixing, particularly at lower tiers, where meager prize money and travel expenses leave some players open to manipulation attempts by betting syndicates.

However, explicit death threats demanding match losses, paired with alarming personal information about players’ families, are both rare and deeply concerning.

‘Unacceptable’

“Let me be clear: this is absolutely unacceptable,” Udvardy expressed to her social media followers. “Regardless of our status as athletes or public figures, receiving threats against our families—especially through private channels and alongside horrifying images—is intolerable. We must not accept such abuse in sports.

“No athlete should endure anything like this.”