Judy Murray reveals young female tennis players are facing death threats from gamblers who lose money betting on them
- The tennis coach – who is mother to former Wimbledon champs Andy and Jamie – says juniors are being targeted by gamblers reacting when they lose
Young female tennis stars are bombarded with death threats from gamblers who lose money betting on them, Judy Murray has warned.
The mother of two-time Wimbledon champion Andy, Mrs Murray said ‘destructive’ social media gives gamblers who have lost money an opportunity to directly abuse tennis players.
The tennis coach, 64, said: ‘I know that when I did the Fed Cup, some of the girls on our team had a real problem with it because a lot of people gamble on the Cup. When they lose, they react.
‘And if you’re one of the players that have lost a bet for them by losing a match, the death threats and the abuse that comes through is horrifying.’
Judy Murray has raised the alarm over gamblers threatening young tennis stars when they lose
Patricia Hon revealed gamblers messaged her on social media saying she wished she’d ‘die from cancer’
Mrs Murray captained the British Fed Cup team, the women’s equivalent of the Davis Cup, between 2011 and 2016 – coaching the likes of Laura Robson, Johanna Konta, Elena Baltacha and Anne Keothavong.
Mrs Murray continued: ‘As an older person, I know it’s horrifying but I can handle it better than someone who is in their late teens or early 20s because that’s frightening.
‘It’s a big problem for young people because social media is such a huge part of their lives and it’s difficult for them not to look at replies and notifications.’
Last year Australian tennis star Priscilla Hon, 24, revealed vile messages she regularly received on social media from upset gamblers saying they wished she’d ‘die from cancer’.
Mrs Murray spoke out about the danger of gamblers online while promoting her new book Wild Card at the Cheltenham Literature Festival yesterday [MON].
Wild Card is her second book – but first fictional novel – about Abi, a 37-year-old woman who gets a second chance to play at Wimbledon’s centre court after a wild card entry and against all odds she just keeps winning.
Mrs Murray is an outspoken advocate for women’s rights in tennis and the novel touches on issues she feels passionate about including the ongoing abuse of power in the sport.
She said: ‘I saw in Wild Card the opportunity to raise awareness on several challenges that still exist for women in tennis.
‘Because the imbalance is there between athletes and coaches, of course, there’s going to be opportunities for abuses of power and trust – they could be financial, physical, sexual and emotional.
It’s not just coaches, sometimes it’s agents, it’s players and there are a lot of examples in tennis where things aren’t right.
‘But you have to know who to go to.
‘So often when players are young they are aware or mature enough to know what is happening to them and to know who to speak to about it.
‘Sometimes they are worried, “I’ll lose my place in the team, I’ll lose my funding if I complain,” and so they keep quiet about it.
‘I feel passionate about the need for more people that women and girls can go to if they have a problem about something.’
Source: Read Full Article
