ATP AI Flags Over 162,000 Abusive Social Media Comments to Top Male Players

The ATP's Safe Sport initiative, launched in July 2024, uses artificial intelligence to protect the world's top men's tennis players from severe social media abuse by scanning over 3.1 million messages and hiding abusive comments in real time. In its first year, the system shielded players from more than 162,000 abusive posts, with abuse constituting over 10% of comments and reaching up to 50% on some players' pages. The initiative has escalated over 3,300 comments for further action, identifying 68 perpetrators and making 28 police referrals. Players like Dusan Lajovic praised the program for fostering a healthier online environment where their social media presence reflects their identity rather than on-court performance. The ATP highlighted that many abusers are angry gamblers, a problem also affecting female players who have faced longstanding online harassment, including death threats as reported by Elina Svitolina. Safe Sport aims to expand protections beyond social media to cover email threats, impersonation, deepfakes, and scams, marking a significant step in athlete safeguarding online.