Coco Gauff, Daria Kasatkina and Jessica Pegula have experienced first-hand how fame can turn out to be detrimental when faced with death threats and online harassment from fans and detractors alike. Unfortunately, this disturbing trend has become far too pervasive; instead it has begun affecting players’ mental wellbeing – Caroline Garcia previously made a heartfelt plea for empathy to highlight players as humans among rising social media hatred.
Linda Noskova has become one of the latest athletes to face this struggle within their profession. After losing to Ashlyn Krueger at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open semifinals, Noskova experienced online hostility that negatively impacted both her journey to reach this point as well as subsequent post-match interactions on social media platforms such as Instagram or Facebook.
Choosing resilience over despair, Noskova addressed the negativity by sharing a compilation of the messages, asking humorously if she should make this response a tradition. This approach marked her second time addressing public scorn via social media, highlighting a recurring issue faced by many in the tennis community.
Last year, in response to online abuse against tennis players, major tennis organizations including ITF, WTA and others joined together in creating an AI-powered “Threat Matrix” system designed to monitor and combat abusive posts across platforms – specifically taking steps against accounts responsible for sending harmful messages directly.
Initial phase results of Threat Matrix have proven promising in combatting abusive accounts; several were closed and others closely observed, earning support from players like Victoria Azarenka in tennis world hopes for initiatives like Threat Matrix to foster safer online environments for athletes like Victoria. As we move into 2025 there’s also commitment from all levels to strengthen further protective measures as safeguards against direct message abuse will help improve mental wellbeing and quality of life for tennis athletes.