WTA not convinced about Peng's well-being

BEIJING • The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) said yesterday that an appearance by Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai on Sunday, when she denied making sex assault claims against a former top Chinese leader, did not address its concerns about her well-being.

The association said it still wants a "full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship".

"These appearances do not alleviate or address the WTA's significant concerns about her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion," it said in a statement to AFP.

Ms Peng's comments marked the first time she had directly addressed the matter in person since she disappeared from public view early last month after a post that claimed former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli had sexually assaulted her appeared on her verified Weibo account.

She had alleged that Mr Zhang - who is in his 70s - coerced her into sex during an on-off relationship spanning several years.

Following the uproar, the former Wimbledon and French Open doubles champion disappeared from public view for about three weeks.

But on Sunday, Ms Peng made a public appearance and denied ever having accused anyone of sexually assaulting her, adding that an e-mail she had sent to the WTA president seeking to assure him of her well-being was done "entirely of my own free will".

In a brief interview with Singapore's Chinese-language Lianhe Zaobao newspaper on the sidelines of the International Ski Federation's cross-country skiing competition in Shanghai, Ms Peng said she had been residing in her home in Beijing all this time, and that her movements had not been restricted in any way.

Asked about the allegations made on Weibo - which were scrubbed by Chinese Internet censors within minutes - she said: "First, I would like to stress a very important point: I have never said nor written anything accusing anyone of sexually assaulting me. I would like to emphasise this point very clearly."

She also described it as a "private matter" that people had "many misunderstandings" about, but she did not elaborate.

Ms Peng was dressed in a red T-shirt and dark down jacket, both with China emblazoned on them, according to the Zaobao report.

Asked if she was under surveillance following the matter, she replied after a brief hesitation: "Why would that be the case? I have always been very free."

Ms Peng also said that the e-mail she had sent to WTA head Steve Simon seeking to assure him that she was neither missing nor in danger was legitimate.

She had penned the Chinese version of the e-mail "entirely of my own free will", she said, but that state media China Global Television Network (CGTN) had published a translated version of it in English as her own standard of the English language was not up to par.

"What was conveyed (by CGTN) was no different from what I meant to convey to Mr Simon," the tennis star added.

In a shaky Zaobao video, Ms Peng appears to speak with Chinese basketball star Yao Ming at the skiing event.

Hours earlier, an unverified video posted online by a Chinese state-affiliated journalist showed Ms Peng speaking with Mr Yao and two other Chinese sports figures - Olympic sailing champion Xu Lijia and retired table tennis player Wang Liqin.

Despite her comments, the WTA was still not convinced of her well-being. "We remain steadfast in our call for a full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship, into her allegation of sexual assault," it told AFP.

Sunday's interview came after the international arm of China's state broadcaster, CGTN, publicised an English-language e-mail in Ms Peng's name in November.

In it, she denies the sexual assault accusations and asks to be left alone.

The WTA had earlier suspended all tournaments in China, including Hong Kong, over concerns about Ms Peng's well-being.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NYTIMES

MAKING IT CLEAR

MS PENG SHUAI, speaking to Lianhe Zaobao, in Shanghai on Sunday.