State media release attributed to Peng raises WTA concerns

BEIJING (AP) — The head of the women’s professional tennis tour is questioning the legitimacy of a retraction Chinese state media says was from a Grand Slam doubles champion who has accused a former top government official of sexual assault. WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said that a statement attributed to Peng Shuai “only raises my concerns as to her safety and whereabouts.” Peng is a 35-year-old from China and a former No. 1-ranked player in women’s doubles who won titles at Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014. She wrote in a lengthy social media post earlier this month that a former vice premier had forced her to have sex despite repeated refusals.