Star player Zhang Shuai withdraws from tennis match after opponent erases ball mark in appeal decision
The Women’s Tennis Association is investigating what it describes as an “unfortunate incident” at the Hungarian Grand Prix earlier this week. The incident sparked accusations of racism and poor sportsmanship, as well as mass support for Chinese tennis champion Zhang Shuai.
Zhang broke down in tears on the court at Tuesday’s Grand Prix in Budapest and eventually withdrew from the match. Her opponent, Hungarian player Amarissa Toth, appeared to have rubbed the ball marks with her shoe in response to the protest. Zhang withdrew in the first set. Toss took the lead and finished 6-5.
The controversy arose when Chan’s shot appeared to land within the toss side’s perimeter but was eventually called. Zhang then asked the manager to confirm the call, but before anyone could arrive, Toth approached the court where Zhang’s ball had landed and scraped it with his foot. The match was televised and was captured on video.
“Wait, wait, wait! Hold the mark,” can be heard Chan say to his opponent. “What are you doing? Why are you doing that?”
Zhang was then seen briefly crying on the sidelines of the court before tossing and shaking hands with the referee before retiring from the match as the crowd booed.
“The WTA has zero tolerance for racism in any form or context,” the WTA tweeted. “The unfortunate events of yesterday’s Hungarian (Budapest) Grand Prix and subsequent postings have been reviewed and will be addressed.”
A post that appeared to have been deleted from the Hungarian Grand Prix Facebook page drew particular criticism from the tennis community. In a comment shared under one of the post-match posts, dozens of screenshots continued to circulate on Twitter later in the week, with tournament officials seemingly defending the referee’s first decision and toss victory, writing that “the Chinese are manipulating the world with manipulative videos.”
Zhang admitted to the incident on Wednesday Instagram. “All my effort in practice went wrong because I wanted to hit it close to the line and when I touched it I was out… I love you guys and the girls for supporting me and standing by me,” she captioned the post.
Many professional tennis players opposed the Hungarian Grand Prix and the toss, voicing their support for Zhang.
Belarusian Tennis Player Victoria Azarenka “This is another level of unsportsmanlike behavior. tweeted.
Australia’s Dahlia Savile responded to the controversy on Twitter in a different way: “Toss ‘won’ on this point, ‘won’ this match, but her reputation has fallen to the ground.”
“It’s absolutely disgusting. Shuay, who shook hands with the referee and those girls, is a better person than most of us.” I have written Adjla Tomljanovic, Australian professional tennis player. “But then again, we’re talking about Shuai, she did.”
“Well, it’s an easy way to lose respect from co-workers. I’m actually upset by the level of disrespect from this girl,” Ellen Perez, also Australian, wrote in another post. Tweetreferring to toss.
The WTA has not released a review of the match or details of how it will be handled at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Summarize this content to 100 words The Women’s Tennis Association is investigating what it describes as an “unfortunate incident” at the Hungarian Grand Prix earlier this week. The incident sparked accusations of racism and poor sportsmanship, as well as mass support for Chinese tennis champion Zhang Shuai.Zhang broke down in tears on the court at Tuesday’s Grand Prix in Budapest and eventually withdrew from the match. Her opponent, Hungarian player Amarissa Toth, appeared to have rubbed the ball marks with her shoe in response to the protest. Zhang withdrew in the first set. Toss took the lead and finished 6-5. The controversy arose when Chan’s shot appeared to land within the toss side’s perimeter but was eventually called. Zhang then asked the manager to confirm the call, but before anyone could arrive, Toth approached the court where Zhang’s ball had landed and scraped it with his foot. The match was televised and was captured on video.
“Wait, wait, wait! Hold the mark,” can be heard Chan say to his opponent. “What are you doing? Why are you doing that?”Zhang was then seen briefly crying on the sidelines of the court before tossing and shaking hands with the referee before retiring from the match as the crowd booed.
“The WTA has zero tolerance for racism in any form or context,” the WTA tweeted. “The unfortunate events of yesterday’s Hungarian (Budapest) Grand Prix and subsequent postings have been reviewed and will be addressed.”
Statement from WTA-The WTA does not tolerate racial discrimination in any form or under any circumstances. The unfortunate events of yesterday’s Hungarian Grand Prix and subsequent postings are under review and will be addressed in the future.— wta (@WTA) July 19, 2023
A post that appeared to have been deleted from the Hungarian Grand Prix Facebook page drew particular criticism from the tennis community. In a comment shared under one of the post-match posts, dozens of screenshots continued to circulate on Twitter later in the week, with tournament officials seemingly defending the referee’s first decision and toss victory, writing that “the Chinese are manipulating the world with manipulative videos.” Zhang admitted to the incident on Wednesday Instagram. “All my effort in practice went wrong because I wanted to hit it close to the line and when I touched it I was out… I love you guys and the girls for supporting me and standing by me,” she captioned the post.Many professional tennis players opposed the Hungarian Grand Prix and the toss, voicing their support for Zhang.
Belarusian Tennis Player Victoria Azarenka “This is another level of unsportsmanlike behavior. tweeted.
That’s another level of unsportsmanlike conduct. amazing https://t.co/bDFQwGiPd5— Victoria Azarenka (@vika7) July 19, 2023
Australia’s Dahlia Savile responded to the controversy on Twitter in a different way: “Toss ‘won’ on this point, ‘won’ this match, but her reputation has fallen to the ground.”
Toth “won” this one and “won” this match too, but her reputation fell to the ground….. 🤢🤮🤢🤮— Daria Saville (@Daria_gav) July 18, 2023
“It’s absolutely disgusting. Shuay, who shook hands with the referee and those girls, is a better person than most of us.” I have written Adjla Tomljanovic, Australian professional tennis player. “But then again, we’re talking about Shuai, she did.”
Totally disgusting behavior. Shuay is better than most of us at shaking hands with referees and girls. But again, we are talking about Shuai and she was. https://t.co/GVcQ1NoPKe— Ajla Tomljanovic (@Ajlatom) July 18, 2023
“Well, it’s an easy way to lose respect from co-workers. I’m actually upset by the level of disrespect from this girl,” Ellen Perez, also Australian, wrote in another post. Tweetreferring to toss.
Well, it’s an easy way to lose respect from your co-workers. I am actually shocked at the level of disrespect from this girl. https://t.co/nBB1mBCh9A— Ellen Perez (@EllenPerez95) July 18, 2023
The WTA has not released a review of the match or details of how it will be handled at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/zhang-shuai-hungarian-grand-prix-tennis-disputed-call-opponent-rubs-out-mall-mark/ Star player Zhang Shuai withdraws from tennis match after opponent erases ball mark in appeal decision