Lucrezia Stefanini received gun photo threat before Indian Wells tie
Italian player Lucrezia Stefanini says she was sent a photograph of a gun and received threats against her family before her qualifying match at Indian Wells.
The 26-year-old believes the intimidation was an attempt to manipulate the outcome of the contest for betting purposes.
Stefanini revealed in an Instagram video that she received the messages via WhatsApp prior to facing Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva at the BNP Paribas Open.
“They threatened me and my family and named my parents, the place where I was born and they sent me a photo of a gun,” she said.
‘Criminal territory’
Despite the distressing circumstances, the world number 138 fulfilled the fixture in California but eventually fell to a three-set defeat.
She immediately alerted the WTA, who provided increased security for the duration of her stay at the tournament.
“I’m making this video and explaining what happened because I don’t think it’s right to put me under this pressure and unease before a match,” Stefanini added.
Angelo Binaghi, president of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation, described the incident as “intolerable”.
“Sending images of weapons, knowledge of personal information and intimidation toward an athlete marks an increase of disturbing quality that doesn’t have anything to do with sports,” said Binaghi.
He warned that those attempting to influence matches through fear had entered “criminal territory” and deserved an immediate legal response.
Online abuse investigations
This incident follows a similar threat made via social media to another Italian player, Mattia Bellucci.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency routinely collaborates on investigations regarding potential match-fixing.
Tennis authorities are also currently working to employ artificial intelligence to block abusive comments directed at athletes.
The WTA and International Tennis Federation reported last year that they had tracked 8,000 online posts labelled as abusive, violent or threatening in 2024.
