Hungarian tennis pro Panna Udvardy says she received threatening messages via WhatsApp to her personal phone from an unknown number, threatening her family if she did not throw a match.
Recounting the ordeal in a disturbing Instagram post on Friday, March 6, Udvardy, 27, shared screenshots of the alleged threats and explained how she responded.
“Last night around midnight I received several very disturbing messages on WhatsApp from an unknown number on my personal phone,” she wrote in the caption.
She continued, “The person told me that if I didn’t lose my match today, they would harm members of my family. They said they knew where my family lives, what cars they drive and that they had their phone numbers. They even sent photos of my family members and a picture of a gun.”
The photos Udvardy shared with the post showed someone off camera holding a gun as well as what appears to be photos of Udvardy’s family members.
“It was honestly very scary to receive something like this,” she admitted. “I immediately contacted the WTA supervisor, sent the screenshots, and informed my parents. My parents then contacted the consulate, and when I woke up this morning I also spoke again with the WTA supervisor. I was told that similar threats have recently happened to other players and that they believe personal information may have leaked from the WTA database, which is currently being investigated.”
The WTA later sent an email to players saying there had been no data breach and the FBI is investigating why Udvardy and other players have been receiving threats, according to a story from The Athletic on Saturday, March 7.
Udvardy added that the consulate responded “very quickly” and sent three officers to her match. Police also went to her parents’ and grandmother’s homes, and she filed a police report.
However, Udvardy told The Athletic that it felt like the WTA was trying to “downplay” the threats.
“I didn’t see any extra security being placed or any kind of real concern,” she told the outlet. “The supervisor told me, ‘Oh, it happened to other players, so don’t worry.’”
She added, “OK, but I am worried — it’s my phone number, my personal data, who knows what else they have?”
Udvardy concluded her post by thanking followers who reached out to show their support, before taking a firm stand.
“But 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 normalize abuse like this in sport.”
“I hope the WTA continues investigating this situation seriously and takes stronger steps to protect players personal data and safety and to inform players immediately if there is a breach in their system,” she added. “No player should have to deal with something like this.”
Us Weekly has reached out to the WTA for comment.
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