Abuse of players, particularly by angry gamblers, is not a new problem.
Burrage’s compatriot Katie Boulter shared with the BBC last year the abuse and death threats she received on a near-daily basis.
This year’s WTA and World Tennis report into online abuse, which was based on data from the Signify Group’s Threat Matrix service, said “angry gamblers” were responsible for 42% of all verified abuse detected during the 2025 season.
It is why there is so much disquiet about the sponsorship deals some tournaments have struck with gambling firms.
The Davis Cup, for example, has an official sports betting partner, while in August self-described “prediction-market platform” Kalshi signed a multi-year deal with the US Open.
Burrage believes social media platforms “should do more to help”.
“I think an ID should be put on every Instagram account, and then that way it makes more people more accountable for their actions on that platform,” she said.
“I think it would limit what people would say. People should be accountable for what they say and that’s where I think there could be more of a push to change.
“It’s only getting worse.”
All WTA and World Tennis players have access to Threat Matrix’s services, which monitor all social media posts directed at players.
The first aim is to provide a rapid assessment of whether an individual’s safety is under threat. They can then alert the platforms, and potentially law enforcement agencies, to the offending content.
Names can also be shared with gaming companies, so they have the option of banning offenders from their platforms.
The service can extend to direct messages and even the moderation of accounts, so players never see the message in the first place. But this is not foolproof – and players may feel they would rather know about any threats made against them.
Burrage has recently been able to improve her singles ranking to 474, from a low of 888 in July. Injury prevented her playing singles for nine months and when she returned for the grass court season, sickness held her back.
But she will not allow the abuse to throw her off course.
“I’m at a place where it’s all bigger picture for me and everything I’m doing now is to have a good season in 2027,” she added.
“I’m building a team that is really good around me. They know where I’ve been, what I’ve gone through.
“It’s not what you want, but if I have to go through it, then I will.”
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Coco Gauff said she had a “draining” few days after receiving racist abuse online before her fourth-round China Open exit.
The American received an “insane” amount of racist comments and direct messages following an incident in her third-round win over 16-year-old Sun Xinran on Monday.
China’s Sun thought she had hit a winner late in the first set, but Gauff raised her hand to halt play because of a flickering light in the side panels surrounding the court.
After a video review – which players are allowed to request – the point was replayed, with Gauff winning it and subsequently going on to clinch the match.
The 22-year-old posted a lengthy statement explaining what had happened and later condemned the racist abuse she received in response.
Gauff was beaten 6-3 6-3 in her next match against Elise Mertens on Wednesday.
Asked how she had felt over the past 36 hours, Gauff said: “It has been kind of draining, I’m not going to lie.
“I just turn off my phone and move on. I mean, there’s nothing you can do.”
A spokesperson for the Women’s Tennis Association said it was appalled by the abuse. It said it was in contact with Gauff “to offer our full support”.
A statement given to the news agency AFP said the governing body was “seeking action” against the abusive content.
Gauff, who won the title in Beijing in 2024, committed 34 unforced errors and eight double faults against Mertens.
“I was just a bit flat. That’s the main thing,” Gauff said.
“The level was there at some points, I just didn’t sustain it the whole match.”
Belgium’s Mertens will play former world number one Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals after the six-time major champion beat American teenager Iva Jovic 6-1 6-3.
Elsewhere, Britain’s Arthur Fery beat Marin Cilic 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 in the Shanghai Masters first round.
Fery came back from a break down in the first set before dominating the former US Open champion in the second to claim his first ATP Tour win since August.
The 24-year-old will face Russia’s 26th seed Karen Khachanov next.