WTA tour plans return to China, ending suspension fueled by Peng Shuai concern

WATCH: Tennis Channel Live discusses the #WhereIsPengShuai hashtag that arose in late 2021.

The Hologic WTA tour has lifted its 16-month suspension of tournaments in China, with plans to return to the country for a robust slate of events this September.

“After 16 months of suspended tennis competition in China and sustained efforts at achieving our original requests, the situation has shown no sign of changing,” the WTA said in an official statement. “We have concluded we will never fully secure those goals and it will be our players and tournaments who ultimately will be paying an extraordinary price for their sacrifices.”

The returning China Swing will culminate with the WTA Finals in Shenzhen, in fulfillment of a 10-year contract that began in 2019.

“This decision wasn’t made based upon the Finals deal in any way, shape or form,” WTA CEO Steve Simon told the New York Times. “It was based upon what was in the best interest of the organization, and we felt this was in that best interest. Will it be good for our balance sheet and those types of things, yes it will, but that wasn’t the basis for the decision.”

Simon previously announced the tour would indefinitely suspend all business with China, which hosted nine events back in the pre-pandemic 2019 season, following accusations from former doubles No. 1 Peng Shuai that she had been in a sexually abusive relationship with Zhang Gaoli, a high-ranking member of the Chinese Community Party.

Peng later retracted her statements and disappeared from social media, prompting the #WhereIsPengShuai hashtag from concerned fans.

Though Peng has made limited public appearances in the year and a half since, the tour had previously vowed not to return to China without a comprehensive investigation into her claims and proof that she is able to live free from government censorship. Simon now says he understands such an investigation will never take place.

“We’ve done our best to get the results fulfilled, but unfortunately we have not been able to accomplish everything we wanted to,” said Simon. “But we’ve also been able to make sure Peng is safe and secure, and she isn’t being forgotten or left behind. Things have to evolve. You can’t keep doing the same thing if it’s not working.”

“We have been in touch with people close to Peng and are assured she is living safely with her family in Beijing,” the WTA statement adds.“We also have received assurances that WTA players and staff operating in China will be safe and protected while in the country. The WTA takes this commitment seriously and will hold all parties responsible.”

The WTA is contractually obligated to host its season-ending championships in Shenzhen through 2031, having hosted substitute editions in Guadalajara and Fort Worth, Texas due to a combination of the Peng controversy and China’s own strict COVID-19 restrictions, which prevented nearly all international sporting events since 2020.