Former Wimbledon quarter-finalist Barbora Strycova received a direct threat from an unidentified man during her first round match of the grand slam tournament.
The Czech world No.23 experienced the incident during the rain delay. Returning to her clash against Verónica Cepede, a member of the public approached approached her and threatened that he would ‘find her’ if she didn’t win the match.
“I have big money for you, if you do not, I will find you,” Strycova recounted of what the man said to her.
“I came to the court with stress,” she added.
Shortly after the incident, it was reported to officials. According to the Czech player, the men were wearing ‘a green t shirt, short hair and had a beard.’ It is unknown if that individual has been caught by the authorities or if there will be any further investigation into the matter.
Despite the unpleasant experience, Strycova went on to win her match 6-3, 6-3. The 31-year-old, who will play Naomi Osaka in the second round, has branded threats like these as ‘disgusting.’
“I do not want to complain, but it’s a very unpleasant thing, and if they tell you they’re gonna kill your family and you do not have (deserve) Christmas, it’s disgusting,” she said.
In recent months players have received numerous threats from bettors, most of which has been mainly through social media. Earlier this year Kyle Edmund publicly posted some of the insults he received. One of those features a person saying that he should have had his ‘throat cut out and decomposing, bug infested body fed to wild pigs.’ Meanwhile, another shocking troll called for him ‘to be raped.’
Australian player Sam Groth contacted the police in December after online threats were made against both him and his family. The 29-year-old is a former top-60 player who reached the third round at Wimbledon in 2015.
“The amount of abuse I have copped … you have never seen anything like it. I get death threats against me, death threats against my family, I get death threats against my girlfriend, she gets death threats and abuse.” Said Groth.
In Great Britain tennis is the third most popular sport to bet on after horse racing and football. According to a 2016 report by the UK Gambling Commission, the sport generated £61.6 million in revenue for the betting industry.
