'Where is Peng Shuai?: Tennis world seeks answer from China over the missing star player

Top tennis stars like Japan's Naomi Osaka, men's World No, 1 Novak Djokovic, former women's world No. 1 Serena Williams, Simona Halep, Jule Georges, Petra Kvitova, and Coco Gauff joined the social media campaign by posting material on their social media handles that included some texts on the photographs of the chinese player. Djokovic  extended support to the social media campaign by posting the statement by the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) along with a picture of the player.

The tennis world is uniting to build up pressure on china for finding the answers regarding the whereabouts of missing two-time grand slam champion Peng Shuai. The star player has been missing after she levelled charges of sexual assault against a senior Chinese official in a post on microblogging site Weibo.

Those worried about the well being of the popular tennis player have launched a campaign on social media that goes by the name “WhereisPengShuai”.

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Top tennis stars like Japan's Naomi Osaka, men's World No, 1 Novak Djokovic, former women's world No. 1 Serena Williams, Simona Halep, Jule Georges, Petra Kvitova, and Coco Gauff joined the social media campaign by posting material on their social media handles that included some texts on the photographs of the chinese player.


Djokovic  extended support to the social media campaign by posting the statement by the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) along with a picture of the player.

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"The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) is advocating for independent evidence confirming the safety and location of WTA player, Peng Shuai” said the statement

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Mentioning the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai, the WTO statement further said that we must unite and be willing to take action unless corroborated evidence is provided to the world about Peng's wellbeing.


"There is nothing more important to us than the health, safety, and welfare of the players.

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Serena Williams said she was devastated to know the problems Peng Shuai is facing: She wrote on her Twitter handle: "I am devastated and shocked to hear about the news of my peer, Peng Shuai. I hope she is safe and found as soon as possible. This must be investigated and we must not stay silent. Sending love to her and her family during this incredibly difficult time. #whereispengshuai."

Peng Shuai, 35, a two-time former Grand Slam doubles champion, has vanished from the public eye ever since she accused former Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, 75, of coercing her into sex at his home in a since-deleted social media post on November 2.

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Since then, Chinese censors have been diligently scrubbing her name and even the vaguest references to her allegations from the internet, the report said.

But the silencing campaign has failed to work outside of China. Over the past few days, the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and some of its biggest stars, both past, and present, have spoken out in solidarity with Peng, demanding to know her whereabouts.

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Concerns have only grown after the Chinese state media on Wednesday released the screenshot of an email, purportedly from Peng and sent to the WTA, walking back her allegations and claiming "everything is fine."

In an interview with CNN, WTA chief Steve Simon described the email as a "staged statement of some type".

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He also declared that the association is "at a crossroads" with China, threatening to pull business out of the country if Peng's safety is not guaranteed and her allegations not properly investigated.
 

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