Following the conclusion of Wimbledon, the world of tennis was hit by a different storyline at the ongoing WTA event in Budapest. In a sequence of events that has seen the tennis community band behind Chinese tennis player Shuai Zhang, young Hungarian player Amarissa Toth was also widely criticised for her actions in the opening round encounter at her home tournament.
In a much-publicised event, Zhang was forced to pull out of the opening match as she succumbed to a panic attack, with her emotions overwhelming her following a string of decisions not going her way. Zhang, who has spoken in the past about her struggles with her mental health, saw much of the WTA tour band behind her, criticising the chai umpire and her opponent for their role in the episode.
Toth has been widely condemned by her fellow professionals for her behaviour, which was seen as needlessly cruel and classless. The 20-year old would first erase a ball-mark despite Zhang’s pleas towards her not to do so, before being spotted by the cameras having a laugh at the expense of the Chinese player while she was arguing with the umpire.
To make matters worse, Zhang would shake Toth’s hands to signal her retirement from the match, and Toth would respond by raising her arms in celebration right after — an action which was seen as immature and unempathetic by her colleagues on the tour.
However, following a string of hostile criticism directed towards her on social media from players, former players, and fans alike, Toth came out in the press to offer an apology to Zhang, and explain where she had gone wrong in her interpretation of the situation.
In a video posted to the Hungarian Grand Prix’s Instagram page, Toth said “I did not think that my first WTA success would cause such a big storm, and I’m extremely sorry for what happened. I respect Zhang Shuai as a person just as much as an athlete. It was never my intention to disrespect, upset, or hurt anyone, least of all Zhang Shuai.”
Zhang is one of the most well-liked players on tour, and had the support behind her to match from a variety of players on the tour. She has struggled with her tennis of late, and is on a long losing streak, after having commented about her struggles with mental health during the French Open.
Toth continued: “I do realise I should not have celebrated the way I celebrated after the match, and I’m sorry that I got caught up in my emotions and in the heat of the match, and I got caught up by the moment. I focused on tennis and I didn’t want to win like that.”
“I hope in the future I will have the opportunity to sit down and talk with Zhang Shuai, and tell her how bad I feel that our match ended this way,” concluded the Hungarian, who spoke out after losing her second round match to Kateryna Kozlova of Ukraine.
The Hungarian Grand Prix had received additional fire earlier in the week as they shared a targeted post on their Facebook profile, claiming that the situation was being “manipulated” by Chinese media. The post has since been deleted, and along with Toth’s apology, might indicate that both the player and tournament are looking to rectify the errors in the situation.
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