Peng Shuai’s Interview Does Not Alleviate Concerns About Her Sexual Assault Claim: WTA Chief

Peng Shuai of China plays a backhand during her Women's Singles first round match against Nao Hibino of Japan on day two of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, on Jan. 21, 2020. Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai’s recent interview with French sports newspaper L'Equipe “does not alleviate any of our concerns” regarding her previous sexual assault claim, Chief Executive of the Women Tennis Association (WTA) Steve Simon said on Tuesday.

Peng gave her first interview to a foreign news outlet on Sunday, during which she asserted that her sexual assault claim against China’s ex-deputy leader Zhang Gaoli on social media last November sparked an “enormous misunderstanding.”