Trending topics:
Tennis

Video: Tennis star Peng Shuai denies sexual assault allegations amid concern about her well-being

Following a month of concern about Peng Shuai's safety, the tennis star talked for the first time with international media denying the sexual assault allegations she made against a former China's Communist party leader.

Published by

By natalia lobo

Peng Shuai
© Wang He/Getty ImagesPeng Shuai

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai denied making sexual assault allegations against former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, after more than a month of concern about her well-being, including the WTA decision of suspending all their tournaments in China.

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.”

Advertisement

ALSO READ

NBA News: Clippers star James Harden responds to Paul Pierce’s statements about him
NBA

NBA News: Clippers star James Harden responds to Paul Pierce’s statements about him

Cristiano Ronaldo scores a brace: How many has he scored this year compared to Lionel Messi?
Soccer

Cristiano Ronaldo scores a brace: How many has he scored this year compared to Lionel Messi?

Eagles: Barkley makes something clear to the NFL about the MVP award
NFL

Eagles: Barkley makes something clear to the NFL about the MVP award

NBA News: Heat star Jimmy Butler reveals the reason behind his incredible performances
NBA

NBA News: Heat star Jimmy Butler reveals the reason behind his incredible performances

Better Collective Logo