Tennis Player Panna Udvardy Targeted with Threats and Gun Photo

Hungarian tennis player Panna Udvardy, ranked 95th in the world, was the target of disturbing threats, including a picture of a gun, ahead of her quarter-final match at the WTA 125 tournament in Antalya, Turkey. The threats warned of harm to her family if she did not lose the match.

Details of the Threats

Udvardy received the threatening messages on Thursday night via WhatsApp from an unknown number. The messages included images of her family members and detailed information about their lives, such as their home addresses, cars, and phone numbers . The sender explicitly stated they would harm her family if she did not lose her match.

Security Measures and Match Outcome

Following the threats, the Hungarian consulate in Turkey arranged for three police officers to provide security during Udvardy’s quarter-final match on Friday . Police also increased security at the homes of her parents and grandmother. Despite the unsettling circumstances, Udvardy played the match but lost 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 to Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina .

WTA Investigation and Similar Incidents

Udvardy reported the threats to the Turkish police and shared the incident on Instagram, noting that she had been informed similar threats had been made against other players . The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) is investigating how the personal information of players was obtained, as the source of the leak remains unknown . This incident follows similar threats received by Italian tennis player Lucrezia Stefanini before a qualifying match for Indian Wells .

Udvardy’s Response

In an Instagram post, Udvardy expressed her distress and emphasized the unacceptability of such threats. “I want to say something clearly: this is not normal,” she wrote. “Even as athletes or public figures, it’s not acceptable to receive threats against our families, especially not on our private phone numbers and alongside disturbing images. We should not normalise abuse like this in sport.”