Peng Shuai: Chinese tennis player does not want to have alleged abuse

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Peng Shuai

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Damir Sagolj / REUTERS

The Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai described the discussions about the post, which she published on the Chinese social media service Weibo at the beginning of November, as “misunderstandings”.

Peng had made a relationship with the former Vice Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli public in the post (read more about the content of the article here).

Now the 35-year-old announced that the post was not an allegation of sexual abuse.

"I never said or wrote that anyone sexually abused me, I have to be very clear about that," Peng said in a video released by Lianhe Zaobao, a Chinese-language media company from Singapore, on Sunday.

It was the first time that Peng spoke out on the subject in public and in front of cameras.

The contribution was a "private matter".

The post was deleted shortly after it was published.

Peng then disappeared from the public for almost three weeks. Human rights groups and international tennis organizations expressed concern about her whereabouts.

The WTA then announced that it would suspend all tournaments in China due to safety concerns.

Peng also commented in the video, which was filmed on the sidelines of a cross-country skiing event in Shanghai, as well as an email distributed by Chinese state media in mid-November.

She wrote this herself.

WTA boss Steve Simon had publicly questioned the authenticity of the letter at the time and said that it was "hard to believe" that it was Peng's words.

In the mail, Peng had already rejected the allegation that it was a case of abuse and stated that he was at home and doing well.

cev / rtr