The growing influence of sports betting is creating a new problem for professional tennis, with players at the US Open and tournaments around the world reporting increasingly disruptive behaviour from spectators who appear to have placed wagers on matches. Players say some bettors are no longer content to watch from the stands but are attempting to influence matches by heckling, taunting and deliberately distracting competitors during play.
The issue has become particularly noticeable on smaller courts, where spectators sit much closer to players and there is less distance between the stands and the action. Czech player Jiri Lehecka recalled an incident at the US Open in which a spectator seated behind his bench repeatedly tried to unsettle him during a match. The spectator continued making negative comments for several sets, telling Lehecka that he was tired and suggesting his opponent was better. Lehecka believed the man had placed a bet against him and had deliberately attended the match in an attempt to affect its outcome.
Although Lehecka eventually won the match, he later questioned the chair umpire about whether anything could be done. He was told that officials had limited powers unless the spectator crossed the line into direct abuse or insulting behaviour. The experience, according to Lehecka, illustrated how some spectators can deliberately provoke players while staying just within the boundaries of what officials can punish.
Players say such incidents are no longer isolated. Lehecka has observed similar behaviour at tournaments across Europe, while Italian player Lorenzo Musetti said he had encountered betting-related disruption not only in Italy but at events in different parts of the world. According to players, spectators sometimes openly support an outcome that goes against the preferred player in the stadium, particularly when they have money riding on the match.
The Italian Open has emerged as one of the tournaments where such behaviour has become particularly noticeable. Similar concerns have also been reported at the US Open. Last year, Swiss player Leandro Riedi confronted a spectator whom he believed had money riding on the result and subsequently brought the matter to the attention of the chair umpire. Such incidents can have a greater impact on lower-ranked players, who frequently compete on smaller courts where crowds are closer and there is less security and separation between athletes and spectators.
The problem extends beyond what happens inside stadiums. The expansion of betting has also exposed tennis players to online abuse, threats and hate speech from gamblers unhappy with match results. Players can face hostility even after winning, while those who lose can become targets for particularly intense reactions from people who have lost money on their performances. Betting has also long been linked to concerns about corruption in tennis, with players having faced sanctions over match-fixing and deliberately manipulating results.
The controversy has gained additional attention at this year’s US Open because the tournament itself has entered into a commercial partnership with Kalshi, a sports prediction and betting platform. The tournament’s association with the company has highlighted a difficult contradiction: while players are dealing with some of the disruptive consequences associated with betting, the sport and its major events are also seeking to benefit financially from the growing betting market.
At present, tennis governing bodies do not appear to have specific regulations designed to deal with spectators who attempt to influence matches through persistent but technically non-abusive heckling. Umpires can intervene when behaviour becomes abusive, but players say that may not be enough to address more subtle attempts at distraction.
Musetti believes governing bodies should do more and improve security around courts, arguing that players have little ability to deal with disruptive spectators while competing. Other players have adopted a more resigned approach. Czech teenager Jakub Mensik said such behaviour has become an increasingly familiar part of professional tennis and that athletes must learn to deal with it rather than allow it to affect their concentration.
American player Tommy Paul similarly regards crowd interference as an unpleasant but increasingly routine aspect of professional sport. He acknowledged that such comments can be irritating, particularly when players hear them repeatedly from behind the baseline, but said athletes have to learn not to react.
Other stars have taken a more defiant stance. Coco Gauff recently questioned whether an unusually loud spectator might have been betting on the match, but made clear that attempts to unsettle her would not affect her performance. Frances Tiafoe, meanwhile, joked about how dramatically he might respond if a bettor attempted to provoke him during a match.
As betting becomes increasingly embedded in professional tennis, the sport faces a delicate challenge: finding a balance between embracing the financial opportunities created by wagering and protecting players from spectators whose financial interests can turn ordinary crowd support into deliberate disruption. With players reporting the problem across major tournaments and lower-level events alike, the debate over how tennis should respond is likely to become increasingly difficult to ignore.
