Although it is unclear how Peng Shuai is doing, WTA tournaments are being held again in China
Keystone
As if nothing had happened: After withdrawing two years ago, the women’s tennis tour is back in China. Nobody knows how Peng Shuai is doing – and it doesn’t seem to matter anymore.
It’s December 1, 2021, and the WTA women’s tennis association is basking in the spotlight. “I don’t see how I can in good conscience ask my players to take part in tournaments in China if Peng Shuai is not allowed to communicate openly,” said Steve Simon, CEO of the WTA, loudly and announced the suspension of all tournaments China. There was a lot of praise around the world for this. Less than two years later, this conscience is no longer an obstacle.
At the beginning of November 2021, the then 35-year-old Peng, former number 1 in doubles and 2014 US Open semi-finalist in singles, made harsh allegations against former Chinese Vice Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli in a message on the social network Weibo. She was forced into a sexual relationship by the influential ex-politician, who was 39 years older than her. A little later the post disappeared, and Peng himself also disappeared from the scene.
Suspension without consequences
This was followed by some photos and videos of the Chinese tennis player in domestic publications, which were presumably not entirely voluntarily taken, as well as an alleged email from Peng to the WTA. However, she expressed doubts about their authenticity. That’s why Simon announced the WTA’s withdrawal from China. A strong signal that did not have a major impact at the time because China was isolating itself due to the corona pandemic and was not holding any international sporting events apart from the 2022 Winter Olympics.
These have been possible again since this year, and the WTA is returning to the lucrative market, although – as it admits – there are “no signs” that the situation has changed. In other words: China has not allowed an independent investigation into Peng’s allegations and the WTA has had no opportunity to speak privately with the player, who announced in February 2022 that she had resigned. They came to the conclusion that they would not achieve their goals and did not want the players to have to pay the price. You don’t want to miss out on the money from China now that it’s flowing again.
Guangzhou, where the Swiss Viktorija Golubic is also in action, is starting this week, with six more WTA tournaments following in the coming weeks, including Beijing, one of the WTA’s five largest and mandatory events. That is only one less than in 2019 before Corona and the Peng case, when the women’s masters also took place in Shenzhen.
Complete surrender
“Our point of view is more important than business,” Steve Simon from the WTA originally said. Now it is a “complete surrender,” says China-based sports analyst Mark Dreyer to the French news agency AFP. “It would almost have been better if they had never taken a position at all.” In the end, the revenue generated by women’s tennis in China is simply too important,” explains Lionel Maltese, lecturer at the University of Aix-Marseille in southern France and organizer of the ATP tournament in Marseille.
There was never any intention on the part of the men’s tour to withdraw from the “Middle Kingdom”. “There is no leadership among tennis players when it comes to questions of ethics,” says Maltese. “Today almost no one takes a position on such questions anymore. The times of Muhammad Ali or Arthur Ashe are long gone.”
It will be exciting to see whether Peng Shuai will appear at a tournament in China in the coming weeks. And if so, whether she can also answer critical questions. However, this is no longer really important for the WTA.
sda
2023-09-18 09:27:00
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