The tennis player talked on Sunday with a journalist from a Singapore-based Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao. It was her first comments to international media since her now-deleted post on her verified account on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media platform, which detailed the allegations, was published on November 2.

“I have never spoken or written about anyone sexually assaulting me,” Peng told on Sunday, with the video becoming viral on Twitter. The interview took place on the sidelines of the International Ski Federation’s cross-country skiing competition in Shanghai.

Shuai denies sexual allegations, WTA still have concerns

When asked about her allegations, the two-Grand Slam champion said there was a mistake about her post. “First of all, it’s my personal privacy. There possibly has been a lot of misunderstanding. Therefore, there should not be such a distorted interpretation here,” she said.

She also said she has “always been free”, when asked if she had any concerns about her safety. However, a spokesperson from the Women’s Tennis Association told CNN on Monday that “these appearances do not alleviate or address the WTA’s significant concerns about her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion.”

While the spokesperson said “it was again good to see Peng Shuai in a public setting and we certainly hope she is doing well,”the WTA “remain steadfast in our call for a full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship, into her allegation of sexual assault, which is the issue that gave rise to our initial concern.”

“In good conscience, I don’t see how I can ask our athletes to compete there when Peng Shuai is not allowed to communicate freely and has seemingly been pressured to contradict her allegation of sexual assault,” chairman and CEO Steve Simon said in a statement. “Given the current state of affairs, I am also greatly concerned about the risks that all of our players and staff could face if we were to hold events in China in 2022.”

The concerns over the safety of Peng Shuai have been increasing since November 2, when she made her accusation in a social media post, now deleted. Following the accusation, Peng disappeared from public view, prompting several fellow tennis players to express worry on social media.

WTA breaks the deals with China: How much money is involved?

China has invested in tennis since more than a decade ago, and the country hosts nine tournaments in the WTA Tour: Zhengzhou Open, Guangzhou Open, Wuhan Open (WTA 1000), Beijing Open, Hong Kong Open, Jiangxi Open, WTA Elite and Tianjin Open.

The country has a 10-year $1 billion deal to host the WTA Finals in Shenzhen, which was signed in 2018. But, more than that, the WTA also had a streaming agreement with China’s biggest platform, iQiyi, for $120 million. According to Sportico, the total prize money of the tournament held in the Asian country was $30.4 million.

The WTA expressed its support to Peng in several statements, asking for a “transparent and censorship free” investigation on the matter. In the last statement, Simon goes on to explain he has “serious doubts that she is free, safe, and not subject to censorship, coercion, and intimidation.”

European Union asked for “verifiable proof” of Peng Shuai well-being

While on November 21, the president of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach said in a statement that he had a video call with Peng, in which there were also present a Chinese sports official and IOC official, the WTA and several NGOs criticized the statementand didn’t believe it was proof of well-being.

The IOC did not explain how the video call with Peng was organized and has not made the video publicly available. The European Union on Tuesday said it wants China to release “verifiable proof” that Peng is safe and to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into her sexual assault allegations.

The former doubles no. 1 admitted that she had been in an on-and-off relationship with the Chinese politician, claiming that he stopped contacting her as the months went by and he climbed the political ladder of the Chinese Communist Party.

Shuai shared her story on Weibo, China’s equivalent to Twitter. Her account has been wiped out by the Chinese government since his disappearance and WTA authorities have spoken up demanding answers and justice.

What Happened To Peng Shuai?

(Transcript via The Guardian)

“In her Weibo post, Peng said she couldn’t produce any evidence of her accusation but was determined to voice them. “Like an egg hitting a rock, or a moth to the flame, courting self-destruction, I’ll tell the truth about you,” she wrote.

The accusation is the most significant of China’s #MeToo movement, which has struggled to gain traction in the face of strict censorship, an opaque justice system, and social and political hostility. No public accusation has been levelled against a senior official of the Chinese Communist party before, let alone one as high-ranking as Zhang.”

There has not been an official statement or response from neither the Chinese government, nor Zhang. Her account was suspended shortly after censors came across the post and the people’s reactions.

Serena Williams Reacts To Shuai’s Disappearance

Tennis legend Serena Williams was quick to speak up and demand justice for her colleague, alleging to be ‘devastated’ for this situation:

“I am devastated and shocked to hear about the news of my peer, Peng Shuai. I hope she is safe and found as soon as possible. This must be investigated and we must not stay silent. Sending love to her and her family during this incredibly difficult time. #whereispengshuai,” Williams tweeted.

WTA CEO Steve Simon threatened to pullout of the Chinese market in the wake of this terrible news:

“We’re definitely willing to pull our business and deal with all the complications that come with it,” Simon told the media. “Because this is certainly, this is bigger than the business. Women need to be respected and not censored.”

We’ll provide further updates as the story develops.