Hungarian Panna Udvardy reveals gun threat before Turkey match

Hungarian tennis player Panna Udvardy has revealed that she received ‘disturbing’ threats before a match in Turkey, including a picture of a gun and warnings that her family would be harmed if she did not lose.

The 27-year-old, ranked 95th in the world, said the messages were sent to her personal phone via WhatsApp from an unknown number on Thursday night.

According to Udvardy, the sender also shared images of her family members and claimed to know their home addresses, cars and phone numbers.

Udvardy, who was seeded second at the WTA 125 Antalya tournament, said the threats left her shaken. Turkish authorities responded quickly after the incident was reported.

The Hungarian consulate arranged for three police officers to be present during her quarter-final match on Friday, while officers also provided protection outside the homes of her parents and grandmother.

Despite the heightened security, Udvardy lost her quarter-final 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 to Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina.

In a post on Instagram, Udvardy said the incident was frightening and unacceptable. She stressed that athletes should not be forced to face threats against their families.

“The person told me that if I didn’t lose my match, they would harm members of my family,” she wrote.

“They even sent photos of my family members and a picture of a gun. It was honestly very scary.”

Udvardy confirmed she has filed a police report in Turkey.

The issue appears to be wider within the sport. Italian player Lucrezia Stefanini recently reported receiving threats before a qualifying match for the Indian Wells tournament.

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) is investigating several similar cases involving the misuse of players’ private information.