Tennis faces growing digital security risks on Tour

The North American hard-court swing is moving through Montreal and Toronto, with Cincinnati and the US Open next. For players and support teams, that means another run of airports, hotels and tournament sites, with phones and laptops carrying much of the information needed to keep a season moving.

That mobile routine now sits alongside another concern. In July, World Tennis and the WTA published their second annual report on online abuse and threats directed at professional players. The findings show why digital protection is becoming part of player welfare, even though the risks extend beyond abusive comments.

The tour rarely offers a fixed digital environment

A player may spend only days in one city before moving again. Travel bookings, schedules, email, social accounts and private communication follow on portable devices.

A familiar home network is replaced by hotel, airport and venue connections that the user does not control. Devices can also be lost during travel, while rushed logins make suspicious messages easier to overlook.

Current software, strong device locks and clear account recovery options reduce different risks before a player connects to an unfamiliar network.

Protecting the connection is one layer

HTTPS encrypts much of the web, but travellers still have to consider the network carrying their traffic. On connections they do not manage, an encrypted tunnel can add protection between the device and the wider internet.

This is why a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can really come in handy. A VPN routes traffic through a secure server and encrypts the data exchanged between the device and that service. That can help with connection privacy on unfamiliar networks, but do note that it doesn’t stop phishing or secure an account by itself.

Multi-factor authentication, unique passwords and software updates remain important. Players and teams should also know which devices can access professional accounts and how access will be removed if one is lost.

Accounts can expose more than a device

Losing control of an email or social account can be especially disruptive because those accounts may contain contacts, recovery links, private messages and personal information.

Phishing is relevant when travel creates a steady flow of legitimate messages about flights, hotels, tournament credentials and schedule changes. An unexpected login request can look routine when a player is moving between events.

Recovery settings deserve the same attention as passwords. Backup codes should be stored safely, old phone numbers removed and important accounts checked for unfamiliar sessions.

Online threats can become a welfare issue

Tennis Majors has already documented how online abuse reaches beyond criticism of results. In our US Open report on online abuse targeting players, players described abusive messages and threats that sometimes extended to family members.

Digital safety for a professional athlete therefore includes personal accounts and devices, while tournament and governing-body systems also have to identify behaviour that may point towards real-world harm.

What travels with a player

• The device

Phones and laptops should be updated, locked and backed up before travel. Losing hardware should not mean losing the only copy of important information.

• The account

Email and social profiles need strong authentication and reliable recovery methods. A compromised inbox can provide a route into other services.

• The connection

Hotels, airports and temporary workspaces introduce networks outside the user’s control. Sensitive work should use trusted, encrypted connections.

• The public profile

Tournament schedules make athletes easy to locate, while social media can reveal additional information. Players and teams should consider how much live location and family detail they publish.

Tennis is building a broader response

The latest World Tennis report on online abuse shows how organised the response has become. More than 1.2 million posts and comments from 2025 were analysed, with 3,726 categorised as serious abuse. Thirty-five accounts linked to 12 individuals were escalated to law enforcement.

The Threat Matrix programme covers more than 10,000 players and officials and combines automated monitoring with human analysis and specialist investigation. Venue security teams can also become involved when online behaviour raises concern about possible real-world harm.

For players, that wider response does not remove the need for basic digital hygiene. Professional tennis is built around constant movement, public visibility and frequent communication. Treating devices, accounts, connections and personal information as part of ordinary tour preparation is increasingly practical.