The president of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), Steve Simon, announced on Wednesday the suspension of tournaments in China.
World tennis number one Novak Djokovic on Wednesday backed the WTA’s decision to suspend its tournaments in China, warning that “we have no information” on the whereabouts of tennis player Peng Shuai, who accused of sexual abuse of a former communist leader from his country.
“I fully support the position of the WTA because we have no information about Peng Shuai and his well-being,” stated Djokovic during the Davis Cup in Madrid.
“Your health is of the utmost importance to the world of tennis,” he added. “It is not necessarily about her, it could be anyone, a player or a female player, but something like that should not happen.”
“I think the position of the WTA is very bold and courageous,” added the Serbian tennis player.
The president of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), Steve Simon, announced on Wednesday the suspension of tournaments in China.
“I announce the immediate suspension of all WTA tournaments in China, including Hong Kong. From a good conscience, I do not see how to ask our athletes to participate in tournaments when Peng Shuai is not allowed to communicate freely and has apparently been pressured to retract her allegations of sexual abuse, ”Simon wrote in a WTA statement. .
No WTA tournaments are pending before the end of the year and the 2022 schedule has yet to be released.
Peng Shuai, 35, went missing for several days in November after accusing former Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli, 40 years her senior, of sexually abusing her before making her his lover.
The tennis player later retracted, raising doubts that she was being forced to demonstrate in this way.
The young woman reappeared on November 21 at a restaurant in Beijing and during a tennis tournament held in the Chinese capital, according to videos published by official media. (D)
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