"Shame that this seemed to rile people up more than Alexander Zverev beating up ladies" - Tennis fans react to Amarissa Toth's apology to Zhang Shuai

By Urvi Mehra

Modified Jul 21, 2023 07:21 GMT

Alexander Zverev, Amarissa Toth and Zhang Shuai

Tennis fans have raised concerns about the seemingly muted reactions to Alexander Zverev's latest assault allegations in the wake of Amarissa Toth's apology to Zhang Shuai after their controversial clash at the 2023 Hungarian Open.

The first-round clash between Toth and Zhang was marred by a disputed line call in the opening set. While Zhang believed her shot had landed in, the chair umpire disagreed. The situation escalated when Toth removed the mark of the controversial call, despite Zhang's impassioned protests.

Following the incident, the World No. 45 was tended to by a physio before she ultimately retired from the match. Toth received criticism from both her fellow players and fans for raising her arms in celebration after Zhang's retirement.

Despite initially defending her behavior, Toth has since apologized to Zhang during a press conference after her second-round defeat to Kateryna Baindl.

"I am extremely sorry for what happened. I respect Zhang Shuai as a person and just as much as an athlete. It was never my intention to disrespect, to upset, or to hurt anybody. I realize I shouldn’t have celebrated the way I did after the match," Toth said.

"I got caught up by my emotion, by the heat of the match. I got caught up by the moment. I didn't want to win like that. I hope that in future, I have the opportunity to sit down and talk with Zhang Shuai and tell her how badly I felt that our match ended this way," she added.

The 20-year-old's apology was well-received by tennis fans. A fan pointed out the contrast between the reactions to Toth's behavior and the response to Alexander Zverev's assault allegations.

"I'm glad she's apologizing, I think it was poor sportsmanship but based on everything did not look like she was trying to actually cheat. Kind of a shame that this whole shenanigan seemed to rile people up more than Zverev beating up ladies," the fan commented.

"One person must be so happy watching all this and getting away scot-free... the umpire. She was the one who started all this anyway," another fan posted.

Here are a few more fan reactions:

Alexander Zverev faces assault allegations from Brenda Patea, the mother of his daughter

Mere months after the ATP cleared him of the domestic abuse allegations by his ex-girlfriend Olga Sharypova, Alexander Zverev has found himself embroiled in another assault allegation, this time from Brenda Patea, the mother of his daughter.

According to RTL Germany, the public prosecutor's office in Berlin has requested a "criminal order" to be issued against Zverev. If the court grants the penalty order, the former World No. 2 will have two weeks to contest the decision.

While Patea's management team has confirmed that the accusation against the German involves "bodily harm," specific details of the charge have not been disclosed.

In other news, Alexander Zverev will be up against Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Swedish Open on Friday, July 21.

Edited by Shamik Banerjee