Hungarian tennis player Panna Udvardy and Italy's Lucrezia Stefanini received threatening WhatsApp messages from unknown numbers, including photos of a gun and demands to lose their respective matches, with threats extended to their families.[1][2]

Udvardy, ranked No. 132, posted screenshots on Instagram detailing messages received around midnight on July 24, 2024, warning that her family would be harmed if she did not lose her quarterfinal match against Anhelina Kalinina at the WTA 125 Megasaray Open in Antalya, Turkey.[1][3] The messages claimed knowledge of her family's location, vehicles, and phone numbers.[2]

Udvardy lost to Kalinina, ranked No. 33, 6-3, 6-4 on July 25 on clay courts in Antalya.[3][4] She informed the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), which arranged for three additional police officers at the match venue; police also visited her parents' and grandmother's homes.[1][2]

Stefanini, ranked No. 292, shared a similar account on Instagram on July 24, describing a message threatening her and her family over her performance, naming her parents and birthplace, and including a gun photo.[1][2] The threat related to her recent match at the ITF W75 Hamburg event in Germany.

Stefanini defeated Lisa Pigato 6-1, 6-3 in the first round on July 24 before losing to Darja Semenistaja 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the second round the following day.[4][5] She also notified the WTA, which provided enhanced security measures.[1]

Both players emphasized the unacceptability of such threats against athletes and their families, calling for action against abuse in sport.[2]

Sources

1. Reuters, "Hungarian, Italian players report match-fixing threats, WTA says", July 26, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/sports/tennis/hungarian-italian-players-report-match-fixing-threats-wta-says-2024-07-26/
2. ESPN, "WTA's Panna Udvardy, Lucrezia Stefanini report match-fixing threats", July 26, 2024, https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/40612345/wta-panna-udvardy-lucrezia-stefanini-report-match-fixing-threats
3. WTA Tennis, "Antalya 125 2024 scores", accessed October 2024, https://www.wtatennis.com/tournament/2309/antalya-125/2024/scores
4. Tennis.com, "Panna Udvardy, Lucrezia Stefanini report match-fixing threats via Instagram Stories", July 26, 2024, https://www.tennis.com/baseline/articles/panna-udvardy-lucrezia-stefanini-report-match-fixing-threats-via-instagram-stories
5. ITF Tennis, "W75 Hamburg 2024 results", accessed October 2024, https://www.itftennis.com/en/tournament/w75-hamburg/ger/2024/m-sw-001-2024-82511/results/