At just 20 years old, Hungarian Tennis player Amarissa Toth has been written off as one of the most “un-sportsman-like” and “disgusting” athletes out there. She is a lesser-known player in the Tennis scene; however, her actions in the Hungarian Grand Prix this week have quickly moved her status to the hot topic in the world of the sport.
Amarissa was playing against the Chinese star Zhang Shuai in the Hungarian Open Round of 32. As Shuai was serving with the score of 5-5 in the first set, she hit a cross-court shot that was called out by the line umpire. The two-time Grand Slam champ in women’s doubles kept challenging this call as she was confident it was in. The actions of her opponent that followed this inconclusive call shook the world.
Amarissa Toth offers apology to Zhang Shuai after her disrespectful behavior
While Shuai was getting the umpire to recheck the clay court marking to confirm the call, Amarissa was seen strutting to the same spot. She proceeded to rub and mop the surface with her shoes till the marking couldn’t be seen despite Shuai calling her out multiple times not to do so. Shuai teared up after this and the unsupportive crowd made it worse.
Unfortunately, this led to the Champ having a panic attack and having to walk over from the match. The Chinese player still chose to be very respectful and walked to shake the umpire’s and her opponent’s hands. As soon as she shook her hand, the young Hungarian threw her hands up and celebrated her “victory”.
That’s another level of unsportsmanlike conduct
Just wow https://t.co/bDFQwGiPd5— victoria azarenka (@vika7) July 19, 2023
These actions have received a lot of hate from a few of the greatest athletes in the field as well- Victoria Azarenka, Martina Navratilova, Daria Saville. In response to the magnitude of hate that she was receiving, Amarissa shared an apology video for inconsiderately celebrating after that match.
“I did not think that my first WTA success would cause such a big storm and I am extremely sorry for what happened. It was never my intention to disrespect, to upset, or to hurt anybody, let alone Zhang Shuai,” said Amarissa in the video. The youngster explained that she was caught up in her emotions and the heat of the match and said,” I do realize that I shouldn’t have celebrated the way I celebrated after the match and I am sorry for that.”
However, Amarissa conveniently forgot to address how she rubbed off the markings in the first place.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yu1niuNP_U&pp=ygUVYW1hcmlzc2EgdG90aCBhcG9sb2d5
The Budapest Grand Prix officials have also allegedly made racist comments which were deleted after tennis fans across the world got the chance to take screenshots. After this, the WTA stated that this incident will be investigated further and addressed.
Tennis fans detest Amarissa Toth’s apology video
Now, Amarissa has become one of the most despised athletes for being an extremely inconsiderate athlete. Her apology video looks as though she is reading off a script. While several fans understand that it could be because of the language barrier, they are not okay with how she does not address the actual un-sportsman-like act in the first place. Fans are also questioning the sincerity of the apology.
Meaningless apology after stating: "I didn't understand why she made such a fuss about it, that she wanted to overrule the umpire's decision, I don't understand why she didn't accept it, all in all, it was she who was looking for trouble." [Toth told state radio Kossuth]
— Blu Captain (@maizeandblue360) July 21, 2023
One fan wrote: “I strongly believe that all of us can make mistakes. But this was not a mistake, this is a clear manifestation of her character. Apologies here mean nothing. She wants to avoid consequences of her behavior that’s all.”
Several fans also point out that she is still very young. After all, Amarissa Toth is just 20 years old and is still trying to establish herself as a tennis player. Hopefully, she learns from her mistakes and works on becoming a better athlete.
What are your thoughts on Amarissa’s actions? Does she deserve this level of hatred and criticism? Let us know in the comments below!
