Andy Murray’s Mother Spills the Beans on a Saddening Reality as Tennis Players Become the Victims of Bettors’ Nasty Habits

Iga Swiatek has been vocal about the online hate that players receive for ages. During the French Open, the hate got intense, and authorities had to take digital measures to control the online abuse. But frustrated gamblers continued to spill the negativity. Swiatek had to request the press to take the players’ side to curb the hate together after defeating Marketa Vondrousova in the Cincinnati Open semi-final. Ons Jabeur, too, condemned the abuse and supported the Pole. Now, it is time for the mother of Andy Murray, Judy Murray, to confront the online hostility players receive.

Tennis coach Mrs. Murray never backs down from lending her voice to concerning issues. She did it once again; this time, the fierce coach made fearless, unfiltered, and lethal revelations.

Tennis coach and mother of Andy Murray exposed the toxicity that players endure

The Scottish tennis coach advocates for players’ rights, especially women’s. On Monday, she launched her first fictional novel, ‘Wild Card,’ at the Cheltenham Literature Festival. During her book release, the former captain of the Billie Jean King Cup (now the Fed Cup) got candid on the threats that players receive from online gamblers.

According to The Daily Mail, Mrs. Murray shared her Fed Cup experience and revealed how young girls faced the heat of gamblers for losing even a set. When gamblers lose their money on a player losing a set they bet on, they react, and it is often a threat. The 64-year-old said, “If you are one of the players that have lost a bet for them by losing a match, the death threats and the abuse that comes through is horrifying.”

Sharing about how it affects young people, Mrs. Murray said, “… I can handle it better than someone who is in their late teens or early 20s because that is frightening.” Continuing on the effect of social media on youngsters, the tennis coach said, “Social media is such a huge part of their lives and it’s difficult for them not to look at replies and notifications.” The British Fed Cup captain for 5 years stated that her new novel focuses on internal issues, too, like the imbalance between athletes and coaches.

She said, “… there’s going to be opportunities for abuses of power and trust – they could be financial, physical, sexual, and emotional.” Murray’s mother opined that the imbalance is not only between players and coaches, but also between agents and other players. She implied the examples she stated are only a few among many tennis wrongs and warned, “But you have to know who to go to.” The three-time Grand Slam champion’s mother also unveiled possible troubles players face when speaking against an imbalance.

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Former Fed Cup captain makes no mistake in standing up for women athletes

Judy Murray asserted the need for a professional that players can rely on when they experience abuse. The Scottish coach opined, “Sometimes they (players) are worried, ‘I’ll lose my place in the team, I’ll lose my funding if I complain,’ and so they keep quiet about it.” But Mrs. Murray never hesitated to be a voice that athletes needed.

After the US Open final, a video of Aryna Sabalenka went viral on the internet. In the clip, the Belarusian took out her frustration on her racket after losing to Coco Gauff. The video was filmed without consent while Sabalenka was having her moment in her private locker room. Netizens went wild, and Mrs. Murray slammed the US Open authorities for releasing the clip.

Andy Murray’s mother firmly stated that the footage was not for the public. Judy Murray supported Word No.1 by explaining that it was a private moment in an empty locker room after an upsetting Grand Slam final loss. However, it turned out later that Sabalenka had been filmed in full awareness of a Netflix documentary crew. Still, behind the glory, records, fame, and titles, there lie ominous threats that plunge the players into darkness and danger, and it takes extreme caution not to end up being preyed upon.

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