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Tennis is back in China after a four-year hiatus. The pandemic and the strong restrictions adopted by local governments are not the only factors that keep the ATP and WTA Tours away from East Asia. Last year, in fact, the Issue of Shuai Peng upset the plans and pushed Steve Simon, CEO of the WTA, to make a difficult decision. The Chinese woman, through a post published on Weibo, initially accused former vice prime minister and Communist Politburo Standing Committee member Zhang Gaoli of violence and rape.
His social profiles suddenly disappeared from the web and there was no news about him for months. A case that shocked public opinion and was criticized by many famous people in the world of tennis and sport in general.
Only a questionable email and several videos released by the Chinese government provide updates on the matter. China has always played a decisive role from an economic point of view for the WTA Tour. However, not everyone forgets the past as if nothing happened.In fact, Alize Cornet announced that she will not participate in any tournament in China to remain true to her ideas: “I remain true to my beliefs and take care of my health.
I have decided that I will not play in China this year. So my season will continue in October. See you soon!”
About Peng’s issue
The evidence did not convince anyone, because Peng often appeared in the company of journalists from state or semi-state newspapers.
The International Olympic Committee thus organized a video call with Peng, who could reassure everyone about his health. An interview given to the newspaper L’Equipe at the beginning of 2022 finally saw Peng withdraw all the accusations and say a disagreement. The WTA thus appears to have abandoned the battlefield, in 2022 it canceled every tournament in China, and announced that the women’s circuit would return to hosting tournaments in the Asian country in a statement that was anything but attractively.“After a 16-month suspension of competition in China, there are no signs of change.