Peng Shuai situation continues to be monitored by WTA, China stripped of tournaments until satisfactory resolution

Modified Jan 05, 2023 05:55 GMT

Peng Shuai issue remains unresolved even four years after the incident occurred

The Peng Shuai issue has been looming large over the past few years in women's tennis and there has not been a proper resolution to the matter yet. With the situation unsettled, the WTA has announced that no tournaments will be conducted in China unless everything is sorted out in a satisfactory manner.

Shuai took the world by surprise when she alleged Zhang Gaoli, a member of the Chinese Communist Party, sexually harassed her in 2018. Since then, however, the former World No. 14 has disappeared from public view and very little information is available about the player's whereabouts.

With no proper investigation having been taken up by the respective authorities yet, the WTA has deemed such negligence unsafe for female players to take part in tournaments in China.

"There has not been any change in the WTA position on a return to China and we have only confirmed our 2023 calendar through US Open. A return to the region will require a resolution to the Peng situation in which she took a bold step in publicly coming forth with the accusation that she was sexually assaulted by a senior Chinese government leader," said WTA in a statement according to CBS Sports.

The WTA stated that they have called for a private meeting with Peng Shuai to discuss the current situation of the matter.

"As we would do with any of our players globally, we have called for a formal investigation into the allegations by the appropriate authorities and an opportunity for the WTA to meet with Peng privately to discuss her situation," they added.

The WTA released a temporary schedule late last year for the 2023 season up until September and as expected, it did not involve any tournaments in China.

'Where is Peng Shuai' protests set to take place at Australian Open 2023

The "Where is Peng Shuai" protests are set to unsettle proceedings at the upcoming Australian Open.

Activists are expected to gather at Melbourne Park to cause trouble for Tennis Australia, who have commercial links to China despite the Peng Shuai issue.

Lead activist Drew Pavlou stated that they are not going to allow the "tension" and "contradiction" surrounding the issue to go unnoticed.

"Unfortunately for them, they are going to have these political problems on their hands for the next few years. We are just not going to allow that tension and that contradiction to go unnoticed and we are going to make trouble for Tennis Australia," he said in a conversation with The Guardian.

The 2023 Australian Open is set to commence on January 16. It is to be seen whether the organizers will prohibit protesters from entering the stadium premises as they did last year.