The dark side of tennis! Sports betting seems to be a new nightmare for all tennis players. Social media has given tennis fans unprecedented access to players. However, with this comes a massive surge of online abuses that has now become a part of beautiful sports, sadly! As per a report published by the BBC in December 2024, an artificial intelligence-led detection system claims angry gamblers are behind 48% of the 12,000 social media posts that were deemed abusive towards tennis players last year. Although the governing bodies in tennis had previously joined hands to launch a program (‘Threat Matrix’) that monitors posts on social media platforms, this issue seems to be far from over. After Jessica Pegula’s recent complaints, French star Gael Monfils has now also hit back at the bettors. But what are the fans saying about this?

Previously, we’ve seen Jessica Pegula claiming “constant death threats” and “family threats” as being the new “normal now.” However, despite several protests on this from both the ATP and WTA sides, Pegula faced a brutal backlash on social media after her shocking exit from the 2025 French Open. She was defeated by the French tennis player, Lois Boisson, in the fourth round match by 6-3,4-6,4-6. Reacting to those harsh criticisms following this match, Pegula said, “These betters are insane and delusional, and I don’t allow dms and try to remember when to shut my comments off during tournament weeks, but they always find a way to my timeline. This stuff has never really bothered me much but does any other sport deal with this to our level? I’d love to know because it seems to be predominantly tennis? It’s so disturbing.“

Following that incident, the 38-year-old tennis star, Gael Monfils, shared a similar thought after encountering tons of hatred following his R32 defeat to 20-year-old American tennis star, Alex Michelsen. The youngster defeated the Frenchman by 6-4,4-6,6-3 at the Stuttgart Open.

Reacting to those hateful comments that he had received after this match, Monfils said, “Hey guys, it’s not financial advice, but really, you’re still betting on me? First tournament on grass, I play Alex Michelsen, 20 years old, 35 in a word, and you wanna bet on me? You are writing that I’m sh–. I know I’m sh–. We both know I’m sh– and you still bet on me? Who is the dumbest between you and me, to be honest? No, come on.” 

Not only that, he also mentioned that he has been playing “with a broken leg already. So don’t pray for that, but the thing is, I’m not suffering.” Having said that, Gael Monfils also addresses the racist comments directed at him from these alleged bettors, and he also asked them to refrain from involving his mother and wife, Elina Svitolina, in their hate speeches!

After seeing Monfils bring up this issue publicly, several fans have now joined hands to show their support for the Frenchman. What are they saying, though?

Tennis fans show their support for Gael Monfils after seeing him take a jibe at the bettors

At the age of 38, Gael Monfils stunned everyone by lifting the ASB Classic title earlier this season. After that tournament, even in the 2025 AO, he made a strong run, reaching the fourth round, where his journey was cut short abruptly due to an injury in his match against America’s Ben Shelton. Following that match, Shelton showered praise on Monfils by saying, “Gael is a guy that I’ve watched since I was a little kid. I always say that he’s the greatest highlight tape of all time. You guys saw some of that tonight. At 38 years old, I hope I’m still walking without crutches. To push me the way that he did today and to entertain everyone in New Zealand and Australia the way he has the last couple of weeks is so impressive.” Everyone was then celebrating the magical run of this experienced campaigner. But now?

Well, he’s facing a backlash from a few sets of fans after his exit from the Stuttgart Open. However, there are quite a few of them who have also stood beside him amid all these. For example, one of the fans tweeted, “La Monf is a gem 💎.“

Among the tennis stars, Nick Kyrgios was among the first ones to show his support for Gael Monfils. He applauded him for his honest response and wrote, “Respect @iamgaelmonfils KEEPING IT REAL.” Seeing this response from the Frenchman, another fan commented, “Fair play to Monfils for this 👊.“

Other than Monfils and Pegula, several fans have faced a similar situation in the past. For example, in 2023, the former Portuguese tennis player, João Sousa, revealed that he had received death threats and several abuses from bookies over his performance. He said, “I would like to expose a reality that many are unaware of, but unfortunately, us tennis professionals have to deal with it EVERY WEEK. There have been several of my colleagues in profession who have exposed this issue and the vast majority of us have learned to cope with it. However, this time, I join them. I’m tired of receiving messages from bookies with threats, insults, teasing, and little knowledge of what one must do and sacrifice to be a professional tennis player,” Now, seeing Monfils tactfully handling this situation with a witty response, another fan wrote, “He is hilarious. And tennis gambling is trash. Mad props to Gael for being one of the classiest, wittiest, and most talented players on tour.“

Several other players, like America’s Sloane Stephens, once complained that she had received “2,000-plus messages of abuse/anger” from people who were upset by the result. Stephens has been very vocal on this topic, and just like her, even Coco Gauff has spoken on this topic multiple times. After seeing Gael Monfils’ reply to the bettors, a fan said, “Good attitude about it, well said.”

Other than that, players like Caroline Garcia had also complained, pointing out the “unhealthy betting” behind players getting frequently targeted these days. Iga Swiatek also shared her thoughts on this, saying, “I think, for sure, the thing that we as players feel is the negative comments and hate because people are sometimes losing money because we lose or because we win. So, this is what impacts us. For sure I feel like it’s not positive, and not good at all.” Last month, another French tennis player, Hugo Gaston, also spoke about being a victim of social media hatred in an interview with Eurosport. 

Reflecting support for Gael Monfils in this case, another fan wrote, “He’s most absolutely not sh-t! An absolute joy to watch! Nous t’ aimon! @Gael_Monfils.” So, these things seem to be far from over now in not only tennis but across various other sports. Share your thoughts on how you think the officials can manage these things in a much better fashion.