Hungarian player Pana Udvardi said she had received “disturbing” messages, including a picture of a gun, warning that her family would be harmed unless she lost a tennis match.
Udvardi, ranked 95th in the world, said she received WhatsApp messages from unknown numbers on her personal phone on Thursday night, along with photos of her family and claiming “they know where my family live, what they drive and have their phone numbers”.
The 27-year-old said the consulate in Turkey sent three police officers to her WTA 125 quarter-final match in Antalya on Friday, while police also protected the home of her parents and grandmother.
Udvardi, the second seed in this tournament, lost to Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina 7-6 (7-3) 7-5.
Udwadi claimed in an Instagram post on Friday that she had been told other players had received similar threats.
A few days ago, Italian tennis player Lucrezia Stefanini said she had received threats ahead of her Indian Wells qualifying tournament., external
The WTA is understood to be aware of several players who were affected and is investigating how the players’ personal information was obtained, but the source is unclear.
