By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday July 19, 2023
China’s Zhang Shuai has been going through tough times recently. The former World No.22 has now lost 13 matches in succession and has not found her winning ways since a first-round victory at Lyon in… January.
Mentally, 2023 has been about as difficult as it gets, as the 34-year-old has recently opened up about a rift with the Chinese Tennis Federation, and her struggles have bled onto the court.
Tuesday in Budapest (at the Hungarian Grand Prix) was no exception as Zhang conducted a protracted argument about a questionable line call against World No.548 Amarissa Toth, and later broke down in tears and retired, losing the match 6-5 RET.
It was difficult to watch the events unfold, as Toth, a feisty competitor, seemed to delight in Zhang’s misfortune, and some members of the crowd took to heckling Zhang, which only incensed her further.
Toth went over to the disputed ball mark a point after Zhang’s long argument with the umpire and supervisor, and erased it, knowing that it would only make Zhang angrier (this was after the umpire checked the mark, verified her call, and another point was played). It worked.
The Romanian did not earn many fans from her peers on tour when she raised her arms in celebration immediately after Zhang shook her hand at the conclusion of the abbreviated contest.
Toth, 20, got her first WTA win.
“Of course it’s not the best way to win the match but I feel like I was coming up in my game,” she said.
Young player that Toth is, she interpreted Zhang's behavior as unsportsmanlike, and thus took pleasure in seeing her rattled further. She's already received a healthy reprimand from older WTA players, including Ajla Tomljanovic.
Australia’s Tomljanovic cited “disgusting behavior” and came to Zhang’s side.
“All the support to Shuai,” tweeted Ons Jabeur, adding: “This is not acceptable.”
“Zero respect for this Toth girl,” tweeted Australia’s Daria Saville. “I feel so bad for Shuai.”
For those who don't have access to the full video, there is a good Twitter thread by Stephanie Myles, which takes you through the fine points of the incident: