Hungarian tennis player Amarissa Toth has issued a half-hearted apology for her controversial actions during her match against Zhang Shui at the Budapest Open. However, she conveniently failed to mention her unsportsmanlike decision to erase a ball mark on the clay court following a disputed line call. This move led to Shuai’s reported panic attack and subsequent retirement from the match.
Toth showed a lack of sportsmanship as she appeared to laugh at Shuai and was supported by the jeers and mockery of the Hungarian crowd. She then proceeded to erase the ball mark, despite Shuai’s pleas to keep it. In her apology, Toth only expressed remorse for celebrating in front of the cheering crowd after Shuai’s retirement, completely neglecting her inappropriate behavior.
In a recorded statement, Toth claimed that she did not expect her first-ever WTA main draw success to cause such a controversy. She apologized to Shuai, stating that she respected her as both a person and an athlete. However, Toth failed to acknowledge her mistake in celebrating and attributed it to getting caught up in the heat of the match. She expressed her desire to have a conversation with Shuai in the future to express her regret.
Notably, Toth left out any reference to her decision to erase the ball mark on the court, which was a clear act of unsportsmanlike behavior. Shuai had hit a shot that appeared to land on the line but was called out by the line judge. This decision infuriated Shuai, who argued with the umpire for several minutes while Toth seemingly laughed at her.
Despite Shuai’s emotional state, she continued to play, but her frustration grew. Eventually, a tournament supervisor was brought onto the court due to the ongoing disagreement over the disputed call. It was during this confrontation that Toth walked up to the mark left by the ball and erased it with her shoe. This act further angered Shuai, who pleaded for the mark to be kept, but Toth ignored her protests.
After the match, Shuai received an outpouring of support from fellow players and fans who condemned Toth’s behavior as shameful and a low point for sportsmanship. Toth’s opponent in the next round, Kateryna Baindl, addressed the controversy and expressed her hopes for Shuai’s well-being.
Australian tennis player Ellen Perez expressed her disgust at Toth’s disrespect and declared her loss of respect for her peer. Other Australian players, including Ajla Tomljanovic and Daria Saville, also condemned Toth’s behavior and expressed their sympathy for Shuai.
Zhang Shuai, a highly accomplished player, has won two major titles in women’s doubles and has reached the quarter-finals of two major tournaments in singles. Amarissa Toth, a young Hungarian player, is still early in her professional career and has a career-high ranking of 534 in singles.
Overall, Toth’s actions were highly criticized for their lack of sportsmanship, and her apology fell short of addressing the full extent of her inappropriate behavior.
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