Italian No. 138 Lucrezia Stefanini has come forward with a disturbing account of match-fixing intimidation after receiving explicit death threats on her private WhatsApp number just before competing in the qualifying rounds of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. She posted a video on her Instagram on March 3 where Stefanini detailed in her native language the chilling message she received, which appeared designed to force her to lose the match for betting purposes.
Lucrezia Stefanini Received Death Threats via WhatsApp
The translation of what Stefanini said — “I received a WhatsApp message in which I was threatened over winning yesterday’s match. They threatened my family and me and named my parents, the place where I was born, and they sent me a photo of a gun. I’m making this video and explaining what happened because I don’t think it’s right to put me under this pressure and unease before a match.”
Stefanini immediately alerted the WTA, which responded swiftly by increasing her security detail. Tournament organizers also provided an escort to her car and full support throughout the event.
Despite the pressure and fear, Stefanini took the court and fought hard in her opening qualifying match against Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva. She ultimately lost 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, but stressed that she refused to let the intimidation dictate the outcome. “Despite it all, I fought until the end to try and win my match, because I can’t permit these people to intimidate me,” she said.
The news has drawn strong condemnation from Italian Tennis and Padel Federation president Angelo Binaghi, who described it as “an extremely serious and intolerable matter.” He added that the sending of images of weapons, the knowledge of personal data, and the intimidation of an athlete mark a deeply concerning escalation that has absolutely nothing to do with sport.
This isn’t an isolated instance with Italian players. Mattia Bellucci was subjected to an onslaught of hostile social media threats earlier this year, and Francesco Maestrelli publicly described recurrent attacks related to betting frustrations in 2023. Gambling addiction is one of the biggest societal problems, and the perpetrators should be identified and punished severely.
Main Photo Credit: Smartframe Images
