A look inside the most popular dating platform » Players from France talked about their experiences

Known worldwide for its erotic and pornographic content, the social network OnlyFans is penetrating the world of tennis, sponsoring more and more players on the circuit. The French are quite numerous, and L'Équipe spoke to some of them.

The strong tendency of this platform to penetrate the world of tennis is causing difficulties for the authorities. However, it doesn't seem to be stopping. MMA, motor sports, BMX, athletics, boxing, golf, football: more and more athletes are sponsored by OnlyFans, and tennis is no exception.

“There will be more and more tennis players in the coming months”announces French Chloé Paquet, who joined the platform about a year ago.

“He's totally involved in sports,” confirms Jonathan Eysseric, also an “OnlyFans sportsman,” though recently retired. “It wouldn't surprise me if big stars showed up.”

There are, for the moment, dozens in the ATP circuit. The most famous of them? Australian Nick Kyrgios. The highest ranked? Alexandre Müller and Pedro Martinez, from the top 100.

Behind these partnerships is a clear objective for the British social network, created in 2016: to invest in the fields of sports and healthy lifestyle to change its image and widen its audience. “They want new profiles with athletes, comedians, chefs. To return to what it was at the beginning, as the name suggests: for the fans. Only then did it deviate,” Chloé Paquet told L'Équipe.

The platform was originally meant to bring fans closer to their idols, which didn't work too well since Instagram already existed. Today it is known worldwide for its erotic and pornographic content.

OnlyFans is regularly accused of inciting pimping, while child protection associations warn of the presence of minors, both among “creators” and subscribers, notes L'Équipe.

It is therefore understandable why the ATP and WTA, which prohibit players from being sponsored by sports betting sites and tobacco brands, refuse to allow the OnlyFans logo to appear during matches. “From an image point of view, they don't want to. In interviews we can wear caps and sweaters with the logo, but during the matches, when they are broadcast on TV, at the moment we can't”, explained Océane Dodin.

Alexandre Müller was reprimanded by tennis governing authorities at the start of his collaboration with the social network. “The ATP refused to let Alex display the logo at the Australian Open last year,” recounts Eysseric.

Since then, Müller usually appears at press conferences wearing an “OnlyFans” cap. And after the initial jokes from friends and colleagues in the locker room, which lasted for a week, no one seems to have a problem anymore.

Curiosity in the WTA circuit for the most famous platform for adults

In the women's circuit, things seem to be different. “I was a bit stressed, I thought it would make a bit of a fuss, but there weren't many reactions from the dressing room. Now it's the other way around, they come to ask me for advice, because some of them have been addressed”, reveals Chloé Paquet. “At the level of the players, there weren't many reactions, more curiosity; people would like to know if it works well”, adds Dodin.

Océane Dodin is the latest player to sign a one-year contract with the British platform. The 29-year-old French woman takes responsibility.

“I've never had too many taboos. I'm quite natural, so I own the things I say and do. I thought about it a lot, because I know it's not done very often in France and it could have negative repercussions. I was already posting a little sexy content on Instagram, so I thought OnlyFans could be a good opportunity.” Océane Dodin explained his decision.

And financially: “I didn't need it to make a living, but it's a plus, we take what we can get. Besides the financial aspect, it's also to my advantage. It's two in one.”

The former WTA No. 46, now 817, offers both “insider information, post-workouts and a lot of tennis-related things that I don't show on Instagram” as well as “sexier content” while setting “boundaries” with those close to her. And obviously it works. “Now I have over 1,000 messages waiting, it's very active, people have reacted very well. There have been many requests.”

Chloé Paquet, another take on OnlyFans

A thousand people have subscribed for a fee to Chloé Paquet's account, which receives “about 30 messages a day” without the usual social media hate. “After my loss against Elsa Jacquemot in Limoges on December 10, I received 25 messages of encouragement, none negative,” says the 31-year-old, who shares “days of training, travel and matches.”

“And I haven't received any offensive messages for a year. They are not punters, just people who love tennis, French, Americans… I do live broadcasts, people ask me questions about my career, my goals, they encourage me.”

Chloe Paquet

The number 243 in the WTA ranking still needs to clarify things regularly with her new subscribers: “In 50% of cases, the first message is: 'Are you making sexy content?' I answer that no, not at all, I'm a tennis player, I share my life on the circuit. After that, they either stay or unsubscribe, but it doesn't go any further.”

Chloé Paquet believes that things will change in terms of the platform's controversial reputation, especially since there are people like her who do not produce sexy or pornographic content. The French from L'Équipe conclude, after this statement, that “a new form of sportwashing is gradually settling in the circuit”.

• Sports washing is defined as the practice by which states, companies or organizations use sport (major sports competitions, sponsorship of clubs or athletes) to improve their public image and to divert attention from human rights violations, corruption or other controversies.