November 16, (THEWILL) – Naomi Osaka says the current scenario involving Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has left her “in shock.”
In a post on the Chinese microblogging website Weibo earlier this month, 35-year-old Shuai accused Zhang Gaoli, 75, a former senior Chinese official, of sexual coercion.
The post was quickly removed from the website, along with the rest of the player’s profile history. Shuai has not been seen since the post, causing anxiety in the international tennis world.
Taking to Twitter, Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion posted: “Hey everyone, not sure if you’ve been following the news but I was recently informed of a fellow tennis player that has gone missing shortly after revealing that she has been sexually abused.
“Censorship is never OK at any cost, I hope Peng Shuai and her family are safe and OK. I’m in shock of the current situation and I’m sending love and light her way. #whereispengshuai.”
At the ATP Finals in Turin, men’s world number one Novak Djokovic also mentioned Shuai. He said: “I don’t have much information about it. I did hear about it a week ago.
“Honestly, it’s shocking that she’s missing. More so that it’s someone that I have seen on the tour in the previous years quite a few times. It’s not much more to say than hope that she will be found, that she’s OK. It’s just terrible. I can imagine just how her family feels that she’s missing.”
Also speaking on the disappearance, WTA chairman and CEO Steve Simon said in a statement: “Peng Shuai, and all women, deserve to be heard, not censored. Her accusation about the conduct of a former Chinese leader involving a sexual assault must be treated with the utmost seriousness.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
