On Tuesday afternoon at the WTA Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest, a dramatic incident led to Zhang Shuai retiring mid-match. Zhang took on Kiara Toth, a young Hungarian player ultimately claiming her first-ever WTA victory.
Hungarian Grand Prix: Kiara Toth vs Zhang Shuai
Recap of the Incident
At 5-5 15-15 with Zhang serving, the world No. 45 fired a forehand cross-court which seemingly looked to be a winner. The umpire walked to the mark, quickly calling the ball out. Cameras from the WTA Tour clearly demonstrated that the ball took up a massive chunk of the line. This call is hardly debatable, and any eye could tell via replay that Zhang should have won the point. Following a hotly contested debate with the umpire, Zhang demanded a supervisor yet was unable to win her case; the umpire refused to call the supervisor or any tournament official.
This fired up Toth, who initially kept her mouth shut in the wake of the incident. Yet, the 18-year-old’s rude character shined two points later at 30-30, as she purposely erased the controversial ball mark. This all occurred as a furious Zhang demanded tournament officials discuss the decision. Following this, Zhang lost serve, and Toth would serve for the set.
Zhang, fazed by the enormous pressure and hostility, called the physio and could not continue. In tears, the 34-year-old retired from the match down 6-5, facing an impudent crowd aloof to her distressed state. Toth failed to give her opponent any fair handshake, immediately raising her hands aloft after her “victory.” The crowd erupted into a celebration with Zhang walking off the court sobbing.
A Stigma of Poor Sportsmanship?
This was a horrible incident and an awful look for the WTA Tour, with this incident connecting to Zhang’s open difficulties with mental health. Zhang has recently spoken out against difficult circumstances tied to debilitating pressure from the Chinese media, on top of a 1-14 record in recent months. With mental health concerns an increasingly open and truthful conversation in sports, bad sportsmanship all but improves the stigma of the pro tennis’ susceptibility to poor sportsmanship. While Kiara Toth was excited by the prospect of a WTA victory, there was zero justification to celebrate in such a manner as she did.
These incidents are also the tip of the iceberg for WTA players leaving the tour for mental health problems. Big names such as Naomi Osaka, Bianca Andreescu, and Garbine Muguruza have all taken breaks from the tour due to mental health struggles. So much is unknown behind the scenes, but many of these problems could be tied to these dramatic incidents. Some of these issues of poor sportsmanship are even exploited by the tennis media. Countless videos and articles online expose player fights and ill-mannered quotes from the press room.
Ultimately, this was a low point exhibiting a complete lack of sincerity on the WTA Tour. For a professional tournament, the umpire should have taken greater action. Additionally, Toth’s youthful personality led her to neglect any amount of fair play for her selfish will to win. Erasing the ball mark is shameful for tennis, leaving the wrong example of what juniors should do to reach the highest level of sport. To top it off, celebrating a retirement is shameful, exhibiting a lack of understanding for a player clearly dealing with a difficult battle with mental health. We at LWOT wish Zhang Shuai well and similarly promote a world of tennis where competitors should be able to compete fairly and treat fellow athletes with respect.
It is unclear whether any allegations will be taken against the chair umpire and the player. The WTA Tour is yet to comment on Tuesday’s incident.
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
