Italian tennis player Lucrezia Stefanini said she and her family were threatened ahead of her match in an Indian Wells qualifier in an apparent attempt to affect the result for betting purposes. She went on to lose the match, but insisted she fought until the end.
Stefanini took to Instagram to reveal that before her match with Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, she received threatening messages on WhatsApp.
She stated, “I received a WhatsApp message in which I was threatened over winning yesterday’s match. They threatened my family and me and named my parents, the place where I was born, and they sent me a photo of a gun.”
The 27-year-old is currently ranked 138th in the world and lost to Kasintseva, ranked 97th, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Upon receiving the threats, Stefanini said she immediately alerted the WTA, which provided her with security. She added, “The entire tournament mobilized to make me feel safe.”
Tennis Prone to Match-Fixing
Under the WTA’s rules, players are required to report any approach involving corruption, match manipulation, or coercion. Tennis is second only to soccer in the number of suspicions of match-fixing.
The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) reported 74 alerts in the sport last year, accounting for 25% of all cases. Europe had the most cases, with 35% of the total.
Players ranked outside the top 100 are particularly targeted by fixers. Last year, six male players were sanctioned by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for allegedly fixing matches, including Quentin Folliot, who was banned for 20 years.
In those cases, players agreed to underperform in exchange for money. It is unclear how often players alter their performance because of threats, whether knowingly or subconsciously. While tennis authorities urge players to come forward when such instances occur, some players may not be as forthcoming as Stefanini.
Players Often Abused By Bettors
The Italian said she felt she had to make a video explaining the situation because she thinks it is unfair for players to feel pressure and unease before a match.
She added, “Despite it all, I fought until the end to try and win my match, because I can’t permit these people to intimidate me.”
It is not uncommon for players to be threatened by bettors. Last year, a study conducted by the WTA and ITIA revealed that 458 players received more than 8,000 abusive comments and posts during the 2024 season. Notably, 40% of the abuse came from “angry gamblers.”
Much of the abuse often comes after matches. Elina Svitolina reported receiving death threats following a straight-sets loss to Naomi Osaka in Montreal last August.
Male Players Also Hit With Intimidation Tactics
Male players have also been threatened before matches. Last month, Spanish player Nikolas Sanchez reported being contacted before an ATP Challenger match in Rosario, Argentina.
He received messages saying that if he did not deliberately lose, then his family would be kidnapped. Like Stefanini, the messages contained personal information, including his family’s addresses. He also lost the match in question, against Taiwan’s Chun-Hsin Tseng, but insisted he did not do so deliberately.
At the same tournament, Román Andrés Burruchaga said he was threatened before his match with Tseng. The Argentine, however, went on to defeat the Taiwanese player in straight sets, showing that intimidation does not always work.
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Italian tennis player Lucrezia Stefanini said she and her family were threatened ahead of her match in an Indian Wells qualifier in an apparent attempt to affect the result for betting purposes. She went on to lose the match, but insisted she fought until the end. Stefanini took to Instagram to reveal that before her
The post Indian Wells Tennis Player Receives Gun Threat Before Match in Suspected Betting Plot appeared first on CasinoBeats.