Bettors angry about some results contrary to their economic interests published 48% of the 12,000 abusive messages against tennis players registered between January and October of this year by the international federation (ITF ), United States (USTA), the women’s circuit (WTA) and the All England Lawn Tennis Club, partners to identify this type of content.
After monitoring with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) the social media accounts of players and their families, a new service in 2024, the association found that, in addition to the majority coming from angry bettors, those who Abusive messages are mainly sexist or explicit or inappropriate sexual content.
Fifteen accounts were identified as exceeding criminal thresholds and referred to the competent authorities for action.
According to the monitoring body, 26 of the 52 accounts that repeatedly published ten or more posts have been suspended.
Five scams were also detected where player accounts were cloned.
The networks monitored are X, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and TikTok.
The system works in 39 languages and currently protects 7,739 players competing in ITF tournaments and 563 players participating in WTA tournaments. All players competing in the main draw and qualifying rounds at Wimbledon and the US Open are also covered by the tool, called the Threat Matrix, as are the chair umpires at those competitions.
“No one should have to endure the hate that so many of us have endured through these platforms. I’m glad we now have tools to help filter content and create a healthier online environment,” said of the former number one in the world.
Source: La Verdad
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