Article by Mihai Șovei – Published on Wednesday, 04 March 2026, 13:38 / Updated on Wednesday, 04 March 2026 13:48
Italian tennis player Lucrezia Stefanini (27, #138 WTA) has been going through some tough times ahead of her Indian Wells qualifier.
He received several death threats from an unknown number, even before the start of the tour in the United States of America.
Lucrezia Stefanini: “I can't believe that sport and tennis can be destroyed by such people”
The Italian was defeated by Andorra's Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva 6-4, 4-6, 4-6 in Indian Wells qualifying on Wednesday. Before the match, Stefanini received threats via WhatsApp from an unknown number.
“I received death threats, they sent me a photo with a gun and even wrote my parents' names and place of birth. This is very serious, Stefanini revealed on social media, adding that she reported the whole case to the Women's Tennis Association”said the athlete, according to sportal.blic.rs.
Lucrezia Stefanini
He stated that the organizers of the tournament offered him the highest protection measures.
“As he added, they were all extremely kind, they also stepped up his security. They walked me to the car and were there for me throughout the tour.
I can't believe that sport and tennis can be destroyed by such people and that I had to enter the court with a feeling of discomfort. Despite everything, I did my best to play the match to the end and I will continue to do so,” Stefanini continued, according to the aforementioned source.
The Indian Wells tournament takes place in California, United States of America, from March 4-15, being considered one of the most important tennis tournaments of the season.
