Since December 2021, the Women’s Tennis Players Association (WTA), the body that governs the women’s professional circuit, has given up organizing competitions in China. A decision taken in response to the Peng Shuai case, named after this Chinese woman, winner of Wimbledon and Roland-Garros in doubles, who had disappeared several days after accusing a former senior leader of the Beijing regime of sexual assault.
Although “the situation” has “shown no signs of changing” in this case, the WTA announced in a statement on Thursday April 13 that it was lifting the “suspension of the organization of tournaments” in the country. . These will resume in September.
“We will not fully achieve our goals”
“When, in 2021, Peng Shuai showed courage with his testimony, the WTA took a stand by suspending its tournaments in China due to concern for his safety and the safety of its players and staff,” said recalled the instance in its text.
After 16 months, “we have concluded that we will not fully achieve our goals and that it will be our players and our tournaments that will pay the price,” she continued.
Until 2019, the WTA circuit stopped in several Chinese cities from September, with no less than six tournaments in the country that year, in addition to the end-of-year Masters organized in Shenzhen.
