Hungarian tennis player Amarissa Kiara Toth notched the first WTA victory of her tennis career this week at the Hungarian Grand Prix, but it certainly was not without controversy.
During the match, opponent Zhang Shuai hit a cross-court shot that appeared to hit the line, but was called out by the chair umpire. Shuai protested the close, asking the chair umpire to take a closer look at the mark the ball made on the clay court and requesting a match supervisor to come over and take a closer look at the situation.
As this was happening, Toth walked over to the spot where the ball landed and rubbed her foot on it to wipe away any evidence that the ball might have hit the line.
According to Fox News, Shuai asked Toth why she did that and Toth replied “Because you’re making problems, that’s why.”
Shuai tried to continue playing but was showered with boos from the Hungarian crowd backing the Hungarian player as tears streamed down her face. She ultimately retired from the match after having a panic attack, and Toth celebrated noticeably before blasting Shuai during a press conference, claiming “she made trouble for herself.”
“I don’t understand why she made a fuss out of it, that she wanted to overrule the judge’s decision,” Toth said according to Fox News. “I don’t understand why she didn’t accept it, but she made trouble for herself.”
Toth’s actions certainly did not sit well with the women’s tennis community.
“Absolutely disgusting behavior,” tennis star Ajla Tomljanovic said in a tweet. “Shuai is a better person than a lot of us for shaking the ref and that girls hand. But then again it’s Shuai we are talking about, ofc she did.”
“Well that’s a quick way to lose respect from your peers. I’m actually shook by the level of disrespect from this girl,” tennis star Ellen Perez said.
Toth has not been on the WTA circuit long, but it’s safe to say she has made some enemies already.
