During her round of 32 match at the2023 Budapest Grand Prix againstZhang Shuai, Tóth erased a ball mark after Zhang's shot was called out by the umpire despite repeated calls by Zhang for Tóth to not smear the mark.[2] Zhang insisted the shot was in, which seemed to be the case, and retired from the match shortly after the incident citing a severe panic attack. Tóth was condemned by many players and fans alike for her allegedly unsportsmanlike behavior. A few days after the incident, Tóth apologized for her actions.[3]
In the first round of singles at the2023 Budapest Grand Prix, Tóth rubbed out a contested ball mark with her foot after her opponent,Zhang Shuai, had remonstrated with the umpire over the line call. The mark appeared to show that Zhang’s shot had landed in, and she argued with the umpire for six minutes over the decision to award the point to Tóth. After the match continued and final decision of the point was decided by the umpire, Toth walked up to the mark and erased it. When Tóth was asked by Zhang why she did that, Tóth replied, "Because you’re making problems, that’s why." Eventually, Zhang retired from her match against Tóth, citing a severe panic attack incited by Tóth's actions and a hostile crowd. Upon Zhang’s retirement, Tóth openly celebrated; it was her firstWTA Tour singles main draw, and the situation ended up giving Tóth her first and last career victory.[4]
Tóth's actions of erasing the ball mark, allegedly mocking Zhang’s outburst, and celebrating at her retirement sparked backlash among the tennis community. Current players described them as "disgusting" (Ajla Tomljanović), "[I give] zero respect to her" (Daria Saville), "a quick way to lose respect from your peers" (Ellen Perez), "one of the worst line calls and poorly handled situations" (Jamie Loeb), "very bad sportsmanship" (Daria Kasatkina), "not acceptable" (Ons Jabeur), "another level of unsportsmanlike conduct" (Victoria Azarenka), and that Tóth "should be banned from the tour" (Maria Sakkari).[5] Former world No. 1,Martina Navratilova, described Tóth as "a bad sport".[6]
Tóth subsequently lost her next match toKateryna Baindl,[7] and after several days gave a public apology for her actions.[8]
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