panna udvardy says she received threats of violence on her personal phone just before a WTA match in Antalya, Turkey, leaving her “panicking” alone in a hotel around midnight. The messages demanded she lose her match against Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina and included threats against her family, plus photos of relatives and a handgun. The WTA Tour later told players there was no official personal data breach, while an investigation continues with involvement from the FBI.
Threats sent to a personal phone before the Antalya match
Udvardy, 27, described receiving the messages from an unknown number with a United Kingdom country code. The sender instructed her to lose a match at a tournament described as one rung below the main tour, and threatened to kidnap her mother. The messages also said the sender had details about where her parents and grandmother live, and they were accompanied by photos of Udvardy’s family and an image of a handgun, alongside a statement that “we have two groups near Hungary ready for war if necessary. ”
In a voice message, Udvardy described the immediate impact: “At midnight I’m panicking, I’m alone in the hotel. I was really scared, so I forwarded these messages to my parents. ” She said she also forwarded the messages to the tournament supervisor and the WTA player relations team, and emailed the WTA social media team, adding she could not sleep for two hours.
Panna Udvardy criticizes the on-site response as WTA warns players to report threats
Udvardy said that when she went to the WTA tournament supervisor’s office, she was told she was not the first player to receive messages like this. Udvardy said the supervisor told her there was an investigation into a possible leak of players’ personal data, which the supervisor suggested explained the recent prevalence of threatening messages arriving on players’ personal phones.
Udvardy said she felt the situation was minimized rather than treated with heightened urgency. “The WTA tried to downplay the situation a little bit. I didn’t see any extra security being placed or any kind of real concern, ” Udvardy said. She added that the supervisor told her, “‘Oh, it happened to other players, so don’t worry. ’” Udvardy responded that she remained concerned about what personal information might be in the wrong hands: “OK, but I am worried — it’s my phone number, my personal data, who knows what else they have?”
Udvardy also said the tour’s safeguarding team told her the gun photo was an old one, implying the sender did not actually possess a firearm. “I don’t see how that’s better, ” she said.
A source briefed on the Antalya tournament’s operations, speaking on condition of anonymity due to not being authorized to speak publicly, said the supervisor’s comment to Udvardy did not constitute an official statement and was made off the cuff.
In an email sent to players after Udvardy reported the threats, the WTA said there had not been an official WTA data breach. The email also instructed players to immediately contact the tour’s safeguarding team upon receiving threats, whether on personal phones or social media, and stated the FBI is contributing to an investigation into the provenance of the threatening messages.
Another player describes similar threats, including a gun photo
Udvardy is the second WTA Tour player to discuss such threats within the past week. Italian player Lucrezia Stefanini described receiving a WhatsApp message in which she was threatened over winning a match, with threats directed at her and her family, including personal details and a photo of a gun. Stefanini said she told the WTA about the situation and received boosted security, and explained she did not think it was right to be put under such pressure and unease before a match.
What’s next as the investigation continues
The WTA has told players the threatening messages are not the result of an official data breach, while the FBI is contributing to the ongoing investigation into where the messages came from. In a 2024 season-wide report into abuse of players commissioned by the WTA Tour and World Tennis, 15 cases were reported to law enforcement and three were reported to the FBI—an indicator that threats and abuse are being escalated beyond sport when necessary.
For now, the immediate direction to players is to report any threatening messages directly to the WTA safeguarding team. And as panna udvardy presses concerns about security and the handling of personal information, attention is likely to remain fixed on how quickly the investigation identifies the origin of the threats and what safeguards are put in place for players receiving threats on private phones.
