Estonian tennis player Mark Lajal receives death threats after tournament loss

Estonia's leading tennis player Mark Lajal has received a wave of abusive and threatening messages, some sent directly to his personal phone, following his semifinal defeat at the ATP Challenger 75 tournament in Manacor, Spain. The event was held at the Rafa Nadal Academy on Mallorca, Delfi reported.

The 23-year-old, currently ranked 152nd in the world, shared several screenshots of the messages he received. One sender wished cancer and suffering upon Lajal and his family. Another message was filled with insults and repeated death threats against him and his relatives. A third message claimed the sender knew what Lajal was doing and threatened to kill his entire family.

Source of the threats

Lajal explained that the abuse primarily came from sports bettors who had lost money wagering on his matches. He said that while losing is a normal part of competition, it has become common for people to somehow obtain his phone number afterward and send threatening calls and texts.

He noted that such abuse is something many top players face, but questioned whether the money the ATP earns from betting platforms is worth the cost to players. Lajal added that he hoped people struggling with gambling addiction would seek the help they need.

Tournament results

Lajal reached the semifinal after coming through qualifying, first defeating Norwegian player Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, who has Estonian roots, then beating Spain's Alejo Sanchez Quileze in the quarterfinals. His run ended with a 7-6, 5-7 loss to 20-year-old Frenchman Felix Balshaw, despite leading 4-1 in the second set at one point. The match lasted two hours and ten minutes. Balshaw will face Spain's Inaki Montes-De La Torre in the final.

Lajal is not alone in facing such abuse — other top players, including Italy's Matteo Berrettini and Hungary's Panna Udvardy, have reported similar experiences recently.