Matteo Berrettini Receives Death Threats: This Is Not an Isolated Incident

Modern tennis is increasingly having to deal with the side effects associated with the world of sports betting. Matteo Berrettini drew attention to the issue after his first-round victory at the U.S. Open against Stan Wawrinka, whom he defeated 7-6(4), 7-6(3), 6-0. After the match, the Roman tennis player recounted a very serious incident that had occurred a few months earlier. During the French Open, his brother had received death threats on his phone directed at the family, with messages even demanding that Berrettini intentionally lose his matches.

The player explained that he had reported everything to the ATP, including the phone numbers from which the threats originated. According to Berrettini, adult and experienced athletes may be better prepared to deal with situations of this kind, while for younger tennis players, such threats can have very serious psychological consequences. For this reason, he believes it is necessary to create more effective tools to protect players.

Berrettini’s case, however, is not an isolated incident. Other tennis players have also been victims of similar intimidation. Among the most concerning cases is that of Lucrezia Stefanini, who, during the Indian Wells qualifiers last March, received a photo of a gun via WhatsApp along with her personal information and her parents’ address.

The Italian tennis player later spoke publicly about the incident in an Instagram video, explaining that she had received death threats if she did not lose her match. What frightened her the most was the fact that the perpetrators of the threats also knew where her parents lived.