The head of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has questioned an email attributed to tennis player Peng Shuai that was published by Chinese state media
Since making sexual assault allegations against a top Chinese government official two weeks ago, the tennis star has not been heard from.
Ms. Peng allegedly states in the email that the allegations are “not true.”
The WTA’s chairman, Steve Simon, stated that the message “only raises” his concerns about Ms. Peng’s safety.
“I have a hard time believing Peng Shuai wrote the email we received or believes what is being attributed to her,” he said in a statement.
The email, written in her voice and published by CGTN, claims she is not missing or in danger, adding, “I’ve just been resting at home and everything is fine.”
Many people on social media have questioned its veracity.
Some have pointed out that a typing cursor can be seen on the screenshot of the email published by CGTN, implying that it is not an email at all.
Ms. Peng, a former world number one tennis doubles player, had not been heard from since early November when she made an allegation about former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli on the Chinese social media site Weibo.
In a post that was later removed, she claimed she was “forced” into sexual relations with Mr. Zhang, who served as the country’s Vice Premier between 2013 and 2018 and was a close ally of China’s leader Xi Jinping.
She hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
Also rad: Whereabout of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai worries Naomi Osaka
Since then, the WTA and other prominent tennis figures have spoken out about Ms. Peng.
Earlier this week, world number one male tennis player Novak Djokovic expressed hope for her well-being and expressed shock, while Naomi Osaka expressed concern about Ms. Peng’s whereabouts.
WTA chair Steve Simon responded to the email published on Wednesday, saying it “only raises my concerns about her safety and whereabouts.”
“The World Tennis Association and the rest of the world require independent and verifiable proof that she is safe,” he said.
He also stated that her sexual assault allegation must be investigated “without censorship and in full transparency.”
“Women’s voices must be heard and respected, not censored or dictated to,” he added.
Ms. Peng, 35, is a well-known tennis player in China.
She has won two Grand Slams, Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014, both with Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei.
Her accusation is the most high-profile case in China’s fledgling #MeToo movement.
It comes just months before the Winter Olympics in China.
