After speaking on the phone with tennis player Peng Shuai, ITF President David Haggerty hopes to see his sport return to China.
“I had a good feeling after my conversation with Peng and that’s why I’m staying in touch with her,” Haggerty told Sky News. “It would be nice if I could meet her in person and I look forward to when I am able to travel to China again for events and when she is able to travel outside of China again,” Haggerty said.
So, since he believes Peng Shuai is doing well, there is nothing to stop her from hosting tournaments in China again, he said. “In my opinion, tennis, especially at junior level, should be played in China again. We want our sport to develop and grow and China is a very, very important market for us,” the World Tennis Association president said.
Peng’s case moved the world for months after she accused a high-ranking Chinese politician of sexual abuse on the Weibo social network last November. The post was deleted soon after. State censors had also blocked any debate about it on the Chinese internet. Since then, athletes, politicians and human rights activists expressed their concern.
Peng later denied having made the accusations. During the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, she had met with IOC President Thomas Bach for a discussion, but there has been no sign of her since.
The women’s tennis professional organisation WTA has cancelled all tournaments in China because of the situation surrounding Peng. The ATP, the men’s organisation, is currently also refraining from events in China, but justifies this with the strict Corona rules there. The ITF also refers to this. “The ITF thinks that events can take place in China if the restrictions are now hopefully relaxed,” said Haggerty.
