The women’s professional tennis tour announced Wednesday it was suspending all tournaments in China amid what its chairman called “serious ...
The women’s professional tennis tour announced Wednesday it was suspending all tournaments in China amid what its chairman called “serious doubts” about the safety of Chinese player Peng Shuai, who accused a top Communist Party leader of sexual assault.
WTA chair and CEO Steve Simon said the move – which could cost the Women’s Tennis Association hundreds of millions of dollars – had the “full support” of the tour’s board of directors.
It also quickly drew support from the sport’s top echelons, including from men’s world number one Novak Djokovic and women’s tour founder Billie Jean King.
“I am announcing the immediate suspension of all WTA tournaments in China, including Hong Kong,” Simon said in a statement.
“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,” Simon said.
“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 WTA had planned 11 events in China this year before Covid-19 forced them to be relocated or cancelled. The 2022 schedule had not...
