The WTA’s return to China in 2023 will depend on the resolution of the Shuai Peng case, as the governing body of women’s tennis said on Wednesday it has yet to meet the former world number one in doubles in person, Reuters reported.

In November 2021, Peng accused former Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault in a social media post that was quickly removed from the Internet. She later denied the allegations.

Peng’s post sparked international outrage over her safety and prompted the WTA to suspend tournaments in China, a decision expected to cost the women’s tournament hundreds of millions of dollars (television rights and sponsorships).

The return of WTA tournaments in China, subject to the resolution of the Shuai Peng case

At the end of 2022, the WTA published a preliminary calendar of tournaments that will take place until September 2023, but did not specify what will happen to the events in China. In connection with Reuters, the forum provided the first information on this topic.

“The WTA’s position on returning to China has not changed and we have only confirmed our 2023 calendar for the US Open.

A return to the region will require resolving Peng’s situation, which has seen her take the bold step of going public with allegations of sexual abuse by a senior Chinese government official.

Like any of our players around the world, we have demanded that the allegations be formally investigated by the relevant authorities and that the WTA be given the opportunity to meet with Peng privately to discuss her situation.

We continue to stand firm and our thoughts remain with Peng. The WTA continues to work on finding a solution.

While we have always stated that we hope to host a WTA event in the region again, we will not compromise our founding principles to do so.” WTAReuters reports.

Last July, the ATP (the governing body of men’s tennis) canceled its competitions in China due to the country’s COVID-19 crisis.