"Umpire is not fit to call claycourt matches" - Martina Navratilova addresses 'pathetic' Hungarian Open incident that left Zhang Shuai in tears

On Tuesday, second seed Zhang Shuai faced wildcard Amarissa Kiara Toth in the opening round at the WTA 250 Hungarian Open. But the Chinese veteran was forced to make the difficult decision of retiring midway through the first set due to a series of controversial incidents at the Budapest event.

The controversy commenced with a questionable line call made by the umpire but took a turn for the worse when Zhang's opponent Toth allegedly interfered with the disputed mark, wiping it off the court. Following what seemed like a panic attack, Zhang, who was trailing 5-6 at the time, broke into tears and decided to withdraw from the match.

In light of the incident, nine-time Wimbledon winner Martina Navratilova called the umpire unfit to call claycourt matches and labelled the incident as 'pathetic.'

Navratilova took to social media to address the alleged on-court blunders by the umpire and also called out Amarissa Kiara Toth for her behaviour.

"Pathetic from any angle- umpire is not fit to call clay court matches and Toth is a bad sport," Navratilova tweeted.

In addition to Navratilova, Zhang's colleagues - including the likes of Ons Jabeur, Maria Sakkari, Ajla Tomljanovic and Denis Shapovalov - also came to her defence after the incident.

"All efforts in practice were wrong" - Zhang Shuai reflects on Hungarian Open controversy

Zhang Shuai at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships

Taking to social media later, Zhang Shuai gave her thoughts on the call and claimed that it had been wrongly declared 'out' as the ball had touched the line. She also lamented about her efforts in practice going in vain, saying:

"All efforts on practice was wrong, because when you wanted hitting closer to the line, even touched the line still OUT," tweeted Zhang Shuai.

Following her untimely exit from the WTA 250 event, the 34-year-old received support from several quarters. She took to social media to express her gratitude and appreciation for the confidence of her colleagues.

"I love you guys and all girls who are supporting me and standing by my side." Zhang Shuai added.