Panna Udvardy reveals threats before Match
Hungarian tennis player Panna Udvardy has revealed that she received disturbing threats before her match at a tournament in Antalya, raising serious concerns about player safety in professional tennis.
Udvardy, currently ranked world No. 95, shared on Instagram that she received several messages from an unknown number on WhatsApp shortly before her match. The messages allegedly demanded that she lose the match, threatening harm to members of her family if she did not comply.
“The person told me that if I didn’t lose my match today, they would harm members of my family,” Udvardy wrote. “They said they knew where my family lives, what cars they drive and that they had their phone numbers. They even sent photos of my family members and a picture of a gun.”
The 26-year-old said she immediately contacted a supervisor from the Women’s Tennis Association, sent screenshots of the messages, and informed her parents about the situation.
Udvardy also revealed that similar threats had recently been reported by other players, including Italian tennis player Lucrezia Stefanini, whose family was also reportedly targeted before one of her matches.
According to Udvardy, the WTA informed her that the incident may be linked to a possible data leak from the WTA database, which is currently under investigation.
Udvardy said the Hungarian consulate responded immediately, and police officers were sent to her match in Antalya. Officers also visited the homes of her parents and grandmother to ensure their safety.
Despite the frightening situation, Udvardy went ahead with the match and later filed an official police report in Turkey.
She ended her statement by calling for stronger protections for athletes.
“This is not normal. Even as athletes or public figures, it’s not acceptable to receive threats against our families on our private phone numbers,” she wrote. “No player should have to deal with something like this.”
