Daria Kasatkina has become the latest Tennis star to hit out at Hungary’s Kiara Toth – here’s what the Russian had to say
The tennis world has been abuzz with a video showing a contentious line call that led to Zhang Shuai’s panic attack and subsequent retirement from the match.
The tournament organizers have now issued a statement which many find to be lacking sincerity. After the incident, the Hungarian Grand Prix organizers defended Amarissa Kiara Toth, stating that she was innocent and unapologetic.
Toth questioned why Zhang Shuai, who has openly dealt with mental health issues, made such a fuss and blamed her for the trouble she faced.
Meanwhile, Russian Tennis player Daria Kasatkina has joined other notable players such as Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Garcia, and Ajla Tomljanovic, in expressing strong criticism towards the Hungarian player’s reaction of celebrating her victory while her opponent suffered a mental breakdown and left the court.
Kasatkina, in particular, responded with a simple rat emoji in one of her latest comments. This response quickly went viral on social media, drawing significant attention and sparking reactions from fans worldwide.
The situation has caused widespread discussion among tennis enthusiasts, with many sharing their opinions and feelings about the incident and the players’ reactions. Let us take a look at how fans reacted to the tweet.
Chinese tennis player Zhang Shuai tearfully retired from her Hungarian Grand Prix match earlier this week. The situation became even more tense when her opponent, Amarissa Toth, aggravated matters by erasing a ball mark on the clay court following a disputed line call. Zhang, who was the second seed, hit a crosscourt forehand that appeared to land on the line, but the line judge ruled it as out.
The chair umpire got involved, examining the mark and ultimately affirming that the ball had indeed landed outside the line. This series of events led to Zhang’s emotional decision to retire from the match.
Enraged by the disputed call, Zhang vented her frustration and insisted on speaking with the tournament supervisor. Despite the match briefly continuing for one more point, the disagreement about the controversial call remained unresolved. During the heated exchange, Toth deliberately approached the mark on the court and used her shoes to erase it. Zhang reacted promptly, raising her voice and urgently requesting, “Wait, wait, wait! Keep the mark!” She questioned Toth’s actions, demanding an explanation for tampering with the mark on the court.
During the changeover, Zhang’s evident distress led the tournament’s physiotherapist to assess her condition. Despite holding a respectable world ranking of 28th, Zhang made the tough choice to retire from her round of 32 match in Budapest when she was trailing 6-5 in the first set.
Her decision was met with disapproval from the home crowd, while her opponent, Amarissa Toth, shook hands with Zhang and celebrated by raising her arms in triumph. After the match, Zhang took to Instagram to voice her dissatisfaction with the disputed call and expressed gratitude to her supporters for standing by her side.
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