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Billie Jean King has spoken of her pride over the WTA's response to concerns about the freedom of Peng Shuai in China. The WTA founder also declared it "would be nice" if the men's tour offered more support on the matter.
Former doubles World No. 1 Peng posted an allegation of sexual assault against China's former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli on social media platform Weibo on 2 November. The 35-year-old's post was swiftly deleted and, while she has since been seen in Chinese state media photos and videos, worries she is subject to censorship remain.
WTA chairman Steve Simon recently announced the suspension of all tournaments in China and Hong Kong due to the uncertainty over Peng's freedom.
In an interview with Eurosport, King expressed her approval of the WTA's actions and stressed the importance of standing up for what is right on issues of human rights and abuse.
"I'm very happy the WTA stood for her. There will be a lot of challenges ahead of us, but standing up for human rights and abuse is really important," said King. "I founded the organization in 1973, so I'm really proud of us. I'm glad that the women are standing up for what's right. The main thing is that she's safe and I hope she's all right."
We would like more support from the men over Peng Shuai situation: Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King was then asked if she would like to see more support from the men's tour over the Peng Shuai saga. The winner of 39 Major titles asserted that this would be valuable, while reiterating her desire for unity between the men's and women's tours.
"That would be nice, I think we would like more support from the men," King added. "I've always wanted men and women to be together in one association, that's really my dream for us, it always has been. We should all work together to help our sport - also off the court - in a more powerful way, more meaningful way."
The ATP recently released a statement saying it will "monitor any developments" in the Peng situation, but has not suspended events in China like the WTA.
