French tennis player Arthur Bouquier receives death threats from gambler prior to match - "I swear on my mother's life that I will come after you"

In a world where tennis fans have immediate access to their favorite players via social media, some fans end up abusing this form of interaction. Ranging from unsolicited pictures and stalking to harassment, several tennis players have complained about receiving online abuse from these so-called fans.

However, French tennis player Arthur Bouquier may have more reason to be concerned. The World No.219 was scheduled to play in an ATP Challenger match at the Thionville Challenger on Tuesday. Bouqier was slated to face World No.522 Florian Broska, but took to social media hours before his match to share a chilling message he had received moments earlier.

Bouqier took to his Instagram stories to post a message he had received from a fan, who initially expressed his frustration at the current state of French tennis. However, things would take a turn for the worse when the fan, using the name Ousmane Noreyni Fall, threatened Bouqier and his family should the 24-year old lose his match to his lower-ranked opponent.

"I swear, if you lose, I will never forgive you," wrote the fan. "I will track you and your family down just to hurt you, even if it means going to prison. Might as well, because if I lose these 2000 euros, l'll be out on the streets, so my life won't make sense anymore. I might as well spend my days in prison. I swear on my mother's life that I will come after you.
"Right now, I am at the court in Thionville, where you're playing exactly at 15 : 20. Be careful. These are not empty threats. good luck.”

Although Bouqier would go on to win the match in straight sets, the ATP and Thionville tournament organizers are yet to address the incident.