"Absolutely disgusting behavior" - Ajla Tomljanovic, Daria Saville & other players miffed as Zhang Shuai leaves court in tears during match against Amarissa Kiara Toth

By Aarav Singh Gill

Modified Jul 20, 2023 19:57 GMT

Zhang Shuai (left), Alja Tomljanovic (top-right), and Daria Saville (bottom-right)

Zhang Shuai has received an outpouring of support from fellow tennis players after a disputed line call prompted her to retire mid-match from the Hungarian Grand Prix on Tuesday, 19 July.

The Chinese professional found herself trapped in a line call controversy when she took on local wildcard Amarissa Kiara Toth in the opening round of the WTA 250 event. Ultimately, Zhang Shuai was forced to withdraw from the tournament mid-match as the line call, together with the hostile reception from the crowd, led to a panic attack.

The former World No. 22 exited the clay-court event in tears, even as Toth threw her hands up in celebration.

Following the incident, several tennis players came to Zhang Shuai's defense. They took to Twitter to express their anger at her allegedly unfair treatment.

Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic condemned the behavior of Toth and applauded Zhang for keeping up her sportsmanship on her way out.

"Absolutely disgusting behavior. 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," Tomljanovic wrote.

Fellow Australian player Daria Seville claimed that Amarissa Kiara Toth's actions had led to a loss of respect for her. She also sympathized with Zhang Shuai.

"Zero respect for this Toth girl. ZERO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so so so mad. I feel so bad for Shuai," Saville tweeted.

Later, Belgian professional Ysaline Bonaventure criticized the 20-year-old Hungarian wildcard for celebrating at the time of her opponent's retirement.

"Celebrating after your opponent retires...what a shame. Get well soon @zhangshuai121."

Here are some more reactions from the tennis world:

Zhang Shuai recently addressed her Grand Slam performances and highlighted the struggles of Chinese players

Zhang Shuai opened up about the struggles of Chinese players at the 2023 Australian Open.

In January this year, after Zhang Shuai secured a spot in the fourth round of the 2023 Australian Open, she opened up about the difficulties faced by her compatriots in the sport.

The 34-year-old addressed the lack of Chinese players delivering promising results and shared an instance of her maiden Grand Slam main draw at the 2008 US Open. The two-time Major women's doubles winner suggested that Chinese players struggle due to improper funding and communication gaps.

"For me first time 2008 going to US Open, so I'm go myself. So national team, they gave me, like, one thousand cash, U.S. dollar, and then passport, me and another player just go. So I have no coach. We have nothing," Shuai Zhang said in her post-match press conference at the 2023 Australian Open.

Edited by Ribin Peter