Hungarian tennis player Amarissa Toth approached the mark on the court and rubbed it with her foot. be partly responsible for the panic attack suffered by her opponent. Zhang Shuai, a former world No. 22, burst into tears after her Tot erased a ball mark on a clay court following a controversial line call.
When the score was 5-5 in the first set, Shuai, who placed second, landed a right hand on the line, but the line judge ruled him out. Frustrated by the challenge, Shuai argued with the referee for several minutes and demanded to speak to the tournament referee.
As Shuai grew more and more enraged, Thoth seemed to be giggling at her opponent, who was also mocked and taunted by the supporters.
The match resumed briefly before debate over the contested challenge flared up again and the tournament curator was called to court.
While play was suspended, Toth walked over to the mark the ball had made on the clay and erased it with her shoe before the officials could get a closer look at it. Shuai shouted from her side of the net, “Wait, wait, wait, keep aiming! What are you doing? Why are you doing this?”
He replied: “Because you create problems, that's why.”
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The Chinese player won this particular game but looked shocked during his shift before calling a physiotherapist to the court. She later had a panic attack and decided to retire, trailing 6-5 in a set. Thus, Thoth got the exit to the next round.
Thoth's actions were widely condemned on social media, and the incident sparked an outpouring of sympathy for Shuai from across the tennis world.
erasing the trail of the ball and celebrating the exit of the opponent from the match is the new minimum of sportsmanship in tennis. This is unacceptable,” accompanied by a love heart emoji.
Australian tennis player Ayla Tomljanowicz called Toth’s behavior “absolutely disgusting.” “Shuai is a better person than most of us because he shakes hands with the referee and this [sic] girl,” wrote world No. 63.
Her compatriot Ellen Perez, world No. 9 understudy, said: “Well, this is a quick way to lose respect from peers. I'm actually appalled at the level of disrespect from this girl. If I see this girl tomorrow, I will tell her how disgusted I am.”
The video showing Shuai's forehand has been viewed more than 1.2 million times on social media. Judging by the screenshots of the ball track, the referee made the wrong choice.
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