At the beginning of the year, the WTA announced that tennis tournaments would return to China only after the Shuai Peng case was resolved. In just a few months, the governing body of women’s tennis has capitulated to financial interests: the white sport is returning to China, even if nothing is known about the former world doubles leader.

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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.

There were whole campaigns (many WTA players joined them) demanding justice and truth from the Chinese in the Shuai Peng case, but little by little the voices died down.

Was there really a WTA ban on China after the Shuai Peng case?

The pandemic has caused important losses to the forum dealing with the fate of women’s tennis. The Shuai Peng affair caused the cancellation of the Chinese tournaments, but the press says that it may just be “dust in the eyes”.

Why that? Because the “zero Covid-19” strategy was implemented in China and the events would not have been organized anyway (see the example from Formula 1, where the Chinese Grand Prix will not take place this year, without the FIA ​​applying any ban). to the Astyates).

WTA tournaments return to China

One way or another, Peng’s case is on the verge of being resolved (nothing is currently known about the former WTA doubles leader), but the WTA could no longer stay away from tournaments in China, reports AFP.

The financial strength of the WTA in recent years has been closely linked to the huge sums pumped out of the Asian state.

Under these circumstances, the WTA issued a statement explaining that it had reached the safe conclusion that the players would be the ones who would be affected by the tournaments no longer being held in China.

Under these conditions, the WTA was practically “forced” to return to the old calendar, the one before the pandemic and Shuai Peng’s post on social networks.

“However, we cannot talk about some amazing decision, considering the amount of money at stake,” the non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch, whose main activity is the observance of human rights, states with disappointment.

Ann Keothavong, a former British player, put it even more bluntly: “Tennis is a business. The WTA needs to generate significant commercial revenue and the players need a circuit to compete.”

China, money factory for WTA

Since the 2015 season, China has become an important partner of the WTA. In addition to the many tournaments held in this country, it should also be noted that in 2018 the WTA signed an important ten-year contract to host the Tournament of Champions in Shenzhen.

In 2019, Ashley Barty, who has now retired from the sport, won $4.4 million after winning the Tournament of Champions in Shenzhen.

It remains the largest check ever cashed in the history of tennis (both women’s and men’s) for a tournament victory. Even the big tournaments (Grand Slam) cannot (now) offer such a financial recipe.

According to the International Tennis Federation, in 2021 China will boast at least 50,000 tennis courts and about 20 million registered players nationwide (second only to the US).

China currently has five players in the WTA TOP 100: Qinwen Zheng (25th), Shuai Zhang (28th), Lin Zhu (42nd), Xiyu Wang (54th) and Xinyu Wang (60th).