Part of being a tennis player even at a lower level with betting rife is abuse and Alexandre Muller showcased some that he received after he lost at the Bastad Open in Sweden yesterday.
Muller had a shock loss against Denis Yevseyev 7-5, 7-5 and the Kazakh will now face Roberto Carballes Baena. But even one look at social media platform X shows that it was a match that people betted on and were left disappointed such is a theme.
Tweets saying that Muller is a clown and that he couldn't even win a set against Yevseyev with some more colourful language were among those no mind his DM's which he showcased. He even received a death threat with a photo of a revolver and several bullets.
He saw the funny side preferring to laugh about it. But it does show the bad side of sport and in particular what betting can accrue. "Who knows about cartridges? Are they full or not?," wrote Muller.
"Son of a b****, you're dead. You're going to die, I see you, I will shoot yourself in the head, you're dead, you son of a b****. I hope your whole family dies of cancer," wrote the user in French which was then reshared on both X and Instagram by Muller.
It has mainly been female players who speak out on being targeted with abuse from fans but it is now Muller who has with betters seemingly seeing an opportunity against a lesser ranked opponent then throwing their toys out of the pram when he didn't win.
Alexander Muller received a disturbing message after his loss in Bastad. “You’re going to die” Bettors continue to hurl their abuse at people and don’t face any consequences for their actions. Sad reality for every athlete living in today’s world. (via @Alex2Mumu)
