The on-field row engulfs tennis: The Chinese player’s panic attack after the opponent’s ‘disgusting’ behavior leads to a bitter blame game … and now it’s a RACISM quarrel over ‘manipulated’ video
- The Hungarian Amarissa Toth was at the center of a sportsmanship dispute on Tuesday
- She rubbed the target for a tight call against her Chinese opponent
- Hungary’s tournament organizers accuse China of ‘manipulation’
A dispute over sportsmanship at the Hungarian Grand Prix has turned into a racist brawl after tournament organizers accused China of ‘manipulating’ images to make young homegrown Amarissa Toth look bad.
Toth, 20, faced China’s Zhang Shuai in the round of 32 and with the first set delicately tied at 5-5, a contested line call went against Shuai.
As Shuai walked over to the net to check if it was in or not, her opponent rubbed the mark with her foot and the referee upheld the first call.
Screenshots of the ball mark indicate that it was clearly in and the call should have been reversed, and Toth’s behavior was described as ‘disgusting’ by fellow professional Ajla Tomljanovic on social media.
Shuai tearfully stopped the next match after having a panic attack, and Toth faced further criticism online with Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur calling her behavior ‘not acceptable’.
Amarissa Toth rubbed out a controversial line call before it could be checked by Zhang Shuai
A screenshot indicated that the ball was on the line and the call should have been in favor of Shuai
The Hungarian tournament organizers have defended Toth after her behavior was labeled ‘disgusting’
But the Hungarian tournament organizers defended Toth in a controversial Facebook post, instead blaming China for the media attention the incident has received.
The statement read: ‘Amarissa didn’t decide whether the ball was good or not.
“It was the linesman’s decision and then the chair umpire’s decision. The Hungarian tennis player may not have behaved in every situation in the first WTA main draw match of her life, but she did nothing that could be described as lacking in integrity.
“And there is no distraction, no misunderstanding. The Chinese manipulate the world with a manipulative video.’
Former world No. 19 Magda Linette commented on the organizers’ reaction, claiming it was the “worst reaction from a tournament I’ve ever seen.”
The WTA has now issued its own response to the statement, stressing that they are committed to eliminating discrimination from the sport.
“The WTA does not tolerate racism in any form or context,” the governing body wrote.
The squabble over sportsmanship has now turned into a racist squabble, with many professionals siding with China’s Shuai (pictured)
Toth, 20, (above) has become unpopular after the incident but refused to apologize for her actions
“The unfortunate incident that happened yesterday (Tuesday) at the Hungarian Grand Prix and subsequent reports are being looked at and will be addressed.”
Toth and the Hungarian tournament organizers seem to be public enemy number one in the women’s locker room right now, and they’re not the only ones who have faced criticism for their handling of the incident.
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has also stated that the referee is “unfit to call off matches” after showing little interest in Shuai’s complaints.
Shuai argued with the referee for several minutes after the controversial call, but the referee stayed in her chair and gave the point to Toth. Meanwhile, she was booed and jeered by the home crowd.
Toth also showed little remorse for her actions, explaining to Shuai that she brushed off the target because her opponent was “causing trouble.”
Martina Navratilova has criticized the referee for her handling of the situation
When Shuai announced her retirement from the match, Toth immediately turned to the fans and celebrated.
She doubled down on her position in a post-match interview, telling Radio Kossuth: “I don’t understand why she made such a fuss about it, wanting to overturn the judge’s decision.
“I don’t understand why she didn’t accept it, but she made it hard for herself.”
Toth returned to action in the last 16 against Ukraine’s Kateryna Kozlova on Thursday afternoon, as she suffered a 6-3, 6-1 loss.