Burrage receives death threats after WTA Tour return

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 3 Nov, 22:45 · Archive

British tennis player Jodie Burrage received death threats and abuse on social media following her first-round defeat at the Chennai Open.

Jodie Burrage, the British number 15, received death threats and abuse on social media after losing to India's Vaishnavi Adkar in the first round of the Chennai Open on Tuesday. The 27-year-old, ranked 474th in the world, was playing her first WTA Tour singles match proper for 16 months. She led 5-3 in the deciding set but lost four games in a row, falling to a 3-6 6-3 7-5 defeat after two hours and 47 minutes. The match lasted nearly three hours, with Burrage appearing to struggle with humid conditions; she called the doctor and had her blood pressure and oxygen levels checked.

Burrage shared some of the abusive messages on her Instagram story, posting 'Nice welcome back to tour. I remember why I left'. German player Eva Lys showed solidarity, tagging the WTA on Instagram and asking 'When will something be done?'

Female tennis players received more than 12,000 abusive posts and messages on social media last year, according to a report published earlier this year. Angry gamblers were responsible for 42% of verified abuse in 2025 and 59% of cases of serious abuse. Burrage has previously called for social media companies and gambling companies to do more to tackle online trolls, urging identity verification to be introduced by social media platforms to make users more accountable.

Burrage receives death threats after WTA Tour return — Image: Daily Mail Sport

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How it is being reported

British tennis star receives horrifying death threats on social media after playing her first WTA Tour match for 16 monthsBritish tennis player Jodie Burrage has revealed she has been subjected to death threats on social media after playing her first match back on the WTA Tour in 16 months.Daily Mail Sport · 4 Nov, 00:20
Burrage receives death threats and abuse after Chennai Open defeatBritain's Jodie Burrage has received death threats and abuse on social media after she was beaten in the first round of the Chennai Open on Tuesday.Sky Sports · 3 Nov, 21:53
Death threats for Briton Burrage on WTA Tour returnBritain's Jodie Burrage receives death threats and abuse on social media after she is beaten in her first WTA Tour singles match proper for 16 months.BBC Sport · 3 Nov, 20:26

In this story: Jodie Burrage · Vaishnavi Adkar · Eva Lys · Chennai Open · India · Britain · WTA

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