The head of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has confirmed that no events will take place in China for the second season in a row amid concerns surrounding two-time Grand Slam champion Peng Shaui.
Steve Simon says he is still working with relevant officials to find a resolution to the case. Last year the WTA pulled their events from China following allegations that Shuai is being censored by authorities after accusing a former government official of sexual assault. In a lengthy post on Weibo the tennis star said she had an on and off relationship with Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli, who has never publicly responded to the allegations. The post was deleted within an hour of publication and subsequent restrictions were placed on Shuai’s Weibo account. Furthermore, news concerning her statement was blocked in China by the state-controlled media.
Shuai disappeared from the public eye for roughly three weeks before photos and videos of her were posted by media or officials with links to the Chinese government. She has spoken with the head of the International Olympic Committee and attended the 2022 winter Olympics earlier this year. However, doubts still remain over how much freedom she has. Last November the WTA believed an email sent to them by Shuai was written under the influence of others.
The WTA lost millions of pounds in broadcasting and sponsorship deals following their decision to suspend events in China, including the year-end Tour Finals. However, Simon told The Tennis Podcast that he remains hopeful that a return to the Asian country could be on the cards next year.
“We remain dedicated to finding a resolution to this,” Simon said.
“We want to find a resolution that Peng can be comfortable with, the Chinese government can be comfortable with, and we can be comfortable with.
“We are not about walking away from China. We have suspended our operations there right now. We will continue to do that until we get to a resolution.
“We will stay resolute. We do hope to be back there in 2023 with the resolution that shows progress was made in the space. That’s a victory for the world if we can accomplish that.”
Shuai announced her retirement from tennis earlier this year during an interview with L’Equipe newspaper. She reached a high of No.1 in the doubles rankings back in 2014 and has been ranked as high as 14th in singles. She has won 25 Tour titles with 23 of those being in doubles.
“We have not had any recent communication with Peng and the world has not seen Peng since the Olympics either,” Simon confirmed.
“I don’t think you will make change in this world by walking away from issues. You have to create change.
“It might not be everything we want. But we have to find a solution that finds that balance that allows us to go back and see progress in the area.”
With the exception of its 125 events, the WTA is yet to confirm their calendar for the final quarter of this season. It is expected that Asian tournaments in Japan and South Korea will go ahead as planned. However, no details have been given about where the WTA Finals will be hosted.
