Brutal data leak at Rio Open: Carlos Alcaraz and Joao Fonseca among those affected

The ATP 500 Rio Open is set to conclude this Sunday, but it has made headlines for more than just its final. A Brazilian journalist revealed that he accessed personal information of several players, including Carlos Alcaraz and Joao Fonseca, due to a mix-up between the city’s government and the Rio Open organization.

Interestingly, Alcaraz didn’t even play in Rio this year. After two consecutive seasons participating in the Golden Swing, competing at the Argentina Open and Rio Open, the Spaniard opted for hardcourts instead, playing the Qatar Open, where he was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Jiri Lehecka.

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Despite his absence from this year’s event, the tournament organizers reportedly retained personal data from Alcaraz and other players who had previously competed, according to Tennis Infinity. Brazilian journalist Demetrio Vecchioli disclosed that he had access to the private information of several top players, including Alcaraz and young star Joao Fonseca.

"This is João Fonseca's passport photo, issued in October 2020. How do I know something so personal? This is one of the many personal data leaks by the Rio Open organization and the RJ government."

"I found Joao’s WhatsApp, Alcaraz’s WhatsApp (who even responded to me), images of documents containing all the information necessary for fraud, home addresses. And not just them, but Thiem, Musetti, Melo, Monteiro, etc., etc., etc."

Apparently, the journalist accessed the data through the Rio government’s online platforms, meaning anyone could have retrieved players' personal information. "It wasn't hidden. I found it just by searching one of their names on the Rio government's transparency platform. Anyone could have found it. Before publishing the article in the first comment, I warned RJ and Rio Open to take it down, which they have already done."

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Luckily for the players, Vecchioli chose to alert the government instead of exposing their private details. This is an increasingly sensitive issue, as players are facing more harassment and threats on social media after their matches.

Some cases escalate even further, such as the stalker of Emma Raducanu, who made headlines this week after the former US Open champion broke down in tears mid-match and hid behind the umpire’s chair as security removed the man. Reports later revealed that the stalker had tracked Raducanu’s frequent locations and had planned multiple ways to approach her.

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