Amarissa Toth has joined Zhang Shuai publicly apologized for her behavior in the first round of the WTA 250 Budapest tournament.
by Nicholas Fink
last edited: 07/21/2023, 12:10 p.m
© Getty Images
Zhang Shuai had to retire in Budapest
The first round match between Amarissa Toth and Zhang Shuai at the WTA 250 tournament in Budapest is still making waves days later. The 20-year-old Hungarian has now publicly taken a stand on social media – and apologized to her Chinese opponent.
“I’m very sorry about what happened. I respect Zhang Shuai as a person as much as I do as an athlete,” Toth said in a video. She never intended to “hurt or upset anyone. Especially not Zhang Shuai.”
Toth celebrates advancing after Shuai’s quest
When the score was 5:5 in the first set, Toth had removed a disputed ball imprint with his foot in a dispute over a point. A short time later, Shuai gave up – apparently due to a panic attack. Nevertheless, the Hungarian insisted on celebrating her advancement in front of her home crowd. In the social media, there was massive criticism of the behavior of the world number 349.
“I realize I shouldn’t have cheered like I did after the game. I’m sorry,” said Toth, who is hoping to speak to Shuai face-to-face. In Budapest, the 20-year-old lost to Kateryna Baindl in the round of 16 after a clear two-set defeat.
Organizers face consequences
The tournament organizer is threatened with consequences from the WTA due to a Facebook post that has since been deleted. According to the organizers, the Chinese would try to “fool the world with a manipulative video”.
The women’s tour then responded with a clear statement: “The WTA does not tolerate racism in any form or in any way. The unfortunate incident that happened yesterday at the tournament in Hungary and the posts that followed are being reviewed and processed.”
2023-07-21 11:45:00
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