Zhang and 34-year-old Toth, fourteen years his junior, drew 5-5 in the first set when the Chinese player hit the ball on the goal line. The arbitration awarded Toth points, much to Zhang’s chagrin. The referee decides to take a look and award points to the home favorite.
When the next rally ended, Zhang wanted to argue with the referee again. The world number 45 called out to Toth to leave his mark, but the Hungarian was quick to wipe them away with his feet.
Zhang couldn’t believe his eyes and alerted the referee, but he didn’t intervene. Toth also acted as if nothing had happened. “What are you worried about?” word 548 global.
Play resumed briefly after heated discussion, but after Toth made it 6-5, Zhang went to the side in tears. In the end, he decided not to continue playing, citing panic attacks as the official excuse. Zhang recently spoke candidly about being mentally exhausted after the death of his grandparents.
Zhang shook hands with the referee and Toth, after which he was booed by the crowd. After that, Chinese citizens received support on social media from various tennis players who disapproved of Toth’s behavior.
Zhang later expressed his frustration on social media. “I can keep practicing to hit the ball as close to the line as possible, but even if the ball touches the line, I don’t know what that means. I want to thank everyone who has expressed their support and been by my side. “