"B****, you're dead, I paid a cartel"

Spanish tennis player Marina Bassols has revealed on her social media that she received serious threats from a gambler following her defeat at the WTA 250 Bogotá. This incident highlights a persistent issue plaguing the world of tennis.

The incident occurred after Bassols was eliminated by Russia's Anastasia Tikhonova (ranked 251st) in a match decided in three sets (1-6, 6-4, 3-6). Following the result, the Spanish athlete became the target of intimidating messages. Bassols failed to advance beyond the second round of qualifying in Bogotá, exiting after 2 hours and 20 minutes on the Colombian clay. Beyond the early elimination, she received a barrage of messages, which she documented and shared on her Instagram stories.

This Tuesday, Bassols, currently ranked 203rd in the WTA, publicly shared the content of the threats, all originating from a single account, stating that "it continues... and it's getting worse." The shared messages are of extreme violence and utterly unacceptable.

Among the messages directed at the 26-year-old tennis player were explicit death threats such as "You're dead, girl, watch your back," "I paid a cartel to kill you," and "I'm going to murder you, I know where you live, you f***ing b****, I'm going to ruin your life." Other messages included "How do you want to die?" and "Just so you know, you're dead."

This case once again underscores the risks athletes, particularly female tennis players, face due to the actions of gamblers, jeopardizing their physical and psychological well-being.