“Come back when the cheater has a life ban” – Fans lash out at WEAK statement by WTA and failure to punish Amarissa Toth for horrible behavior

WTA released a statement over the controversy during the Budapest Open match between Zhang Shuai and Amarissa Toth.

“Come back when the cheater has a life ban” – Fans lash out at WEAK statement by WTA and failure to punish Amarissa Toth for horrible behavior

Zhang Shuai and Amarissa Toth (Credits: Reuters and tennis tonic)

The 2023 Budapest Open recently witnessed a highly controversial incident involving Chinese tennis player Zhang Shuai and Hungarian player Amarissa Kiara Toth. During the match between Shuai and Toth, the score was tied at 5-5 in the opening set. It was at this point that the controversy unfolded.

Zhang had a chance to discuss a mark on the court with the supervisor. However, Toth erased it before making a decision. This action led to Zhang’s retirement from the match, with many speculating that she may have experienced a panic attack as a result of the incident. In the past, other players have behaved rudely towards Shuai.

YouTube video

The incident quickly garnered attention and support from the WTA community, with many of Zhang’s colleagues expressing their solidarity with the Chinese on social media. However, Toth defended her actions, stating that she did not believe she had done anything wrong.

FS Video

Moreover, the official handle of the Hungarian Open also made a controversial remark on the same incident. 

HUNGARIAN GP described what happened. Amarissa did not decide if the ball was good or not. It was the decision of the linesman and then the chair umpire. The Hungarian tennis player in the first WTA main draw match of her life may not have behaved in every situation, but she did nothing that could be described as a lack of integrity. And there is no deflection, no misunderstanding. The Chinese are manipulating the world with a manipulative video.
Hungarian Open official statement

This further fueled the controversy, prompting the WTA to release a statement addressing the incident and emphasizing their zero tolerance for racism in any form or context. 

The WTA has zero tolerance for racism in any form or context. The unfortunate incident that took place yesterday at the Hungarian Grand Prix and subsequent posts are being reviewed and will be addressed.
WTA via X

The matter has gone quite viral. The fans remain upset with the remarks and the lack of a proper resolution to the controversy. The response from the tournament organizers, specifically the official account of the 2023 Hungarian Tennis Grand Prix, added fuel to the fire. This comment, along with others from the tournament, received significant backlash from the tennis community.

Fans lashed out at Amarissa Toth and the Hungarian Open for partial behavior towards Zhang Shuai

Tennis fans and social media users expressed their outrage at the tournament’s comments, criticizing their defense of Toth and their derogatory remarks about the Chinese. Many believed the tournament’s comments were inappropriate and unprofessional, calling for the players to be cautious about participating in future events organized by the Hungarian Open.

Zhang Shuai
Zhang Shuai (Credits: South China Morning Post)

Fans were also not too impressed with WTA’s statement on the whole episode, calling it weak. Check out the reactions here.

After so much outrage on social media, it will be interesting to see if WTA comes up with another strong statement or if this matter will also be brushed under the carpet. In the end, Shuai received an apology from Amarissa Toth.

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