The controversial issue of gambling in tennis has once again taken center stage as Iga Swiatek, the former World No.1 and five-time major champion, gave a guarded response during a press conference ahead of her India Wells campaign. When asked about her views on betting in the sport, Swiatek seemed reluctant to give a definitive answer.
This comes in the wake of the recent comments made by Madison Keys, the 2025 Australian Open champion, who stated that there was no clear-cut solution to the question of betting in tennis. Keys highlighted the significant financial benefits that tennis tournaments receive from partnerships with betting companies, as reported by Tennis World USA.
Swiatek’s reticence on the topic is intriguing. She stated, “Oh, I don’t think I’m ready to answer that question because I never really thought about that much, because I always thought that this is how it is.” She continued by acknowledging the inevitability of betting in the sport, given its profitability, and cited the negative impact of online abuse on players as a direct consequence of gambling.
The issue of online abuse is a serious concern, with an AI system reporting that almost half of the 12,000 abusive social media messages directed at tennis players this year originated from disgruntled gamblers, as cited by the BBC. Swiatek’s ambiguous stance on the betting culture was summed up in her statement: “I’m not really that well-oriented to really say. Sorry.”
Meanwhile, other figures in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) are forthright in expressing their views. Ons Jabeur, the World No.32, criticized those who target players over match outcomes during an episode of the Nothing Major podcast. She emphasized the need to address the problem of social media abuse and called for a possible modification of the existing betting system.
Jabeur shared her personal experiences with hateful comments and underlined the importance of addressing the issue, particularly for the sake of young, emerging players who may not know how to handle such abuse. She stated, “I do get a lot. Some things are very, like, very extreme. But I got used to it, and I would not say I don’t care. I obviously do care. At the end of the day, I remind myself, these people are hopeless and behind the screens.”
The question of gambling’s role in tennis and its impact on players remains a contentious and complex issue, warranting further discussion and consideration.