Tennis will return to China on the WTA side for the first time in three years after a u-turn from the organisation after spending most of the past few years asking for a sexual assault investigation into
Peng Shuai.
Suspending tournaments in 2021 over concerns of the freedom of Peng Shuai who accused a former Communist Party Official of sexual assault, it started a campaign.
As recently as January, they stated a return to China would hinge on a resolution to the situation including a formal investigation and meeting with the player.
But seemingly, the WTA have failed with that mission with Chinese authorities reportedly giving assurances of her safety and freedom which they have now accepted.
“We’ve been in this for 16 months and we are convinced that at this point our requests will not be met,” WTA chief executive Steve Simon told the
BBC.
“To continue with the same strategy doesn’t make sense and a different approach is needed. Hopefully, by returning more progress can be made.”
