Rafael Nadal has also raised his concerns for the whereabouts of missing Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai.
He told the French newspaper L’Equipe: “I follow the news and read the articles about Peng Shuai. Even though I don’t have all the information, the most important thing is to find out whether she is OK. All of us in the tennis family hope to see her back with us soon.”
Peng Shuaai wrote in a lengthy social media post on Nov. 2 that she was forced to have sex three years ago with Zhang Gaoli in his home despite repeated refusals. Zhang, 75, is a former vice premier who was a member of the ruling Communist Party’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee. The post was quickly deleted from her verified account on Weibo, a leading Chinese social media platform, but screenshots of the explosive accusation were shared on the internet.
Chinese state media shared a video of Peng dining in Beijing, a day after it claimed the tennis star shared three photos on the Chinese social-media platform WeChat. Global Times editor Hu Xijin, who posted the video on Twitter, said the dinner took place Saturday and included Peng’s friends and coach.
The video comes after Xijin tweeted Peng was “freely” staying at home and would “participate in some activities soon” on Friday.
While WTA CEO Steve Simon said seeing Peng in the video was a “positive” development, he described the evidence as “insufficient” and remains “concerned about Peng Shuai’s health and safety, and that the allegation of sexual assault is being censored and swept under the rug.
“It remains unclear if she is free and able to make decisions and take actions on her own, without coercion or external interference,” Simon said.
Source: CBS
The situation’s certainly very worrying – Peng Shuai hasn’t been seen for days now, unless you believe what’s been posted on Chinese state media. It’s good to see Rafa and other top players speaking out and keeping her name in the public eye.
Rafa we are wetting for you i hope you are healthy for the Australian open all the best this Holiday vamosssssss champ 👍🎾💪👏😘❤️🇺🇸👍💪
Come back soon champ❤️
I do not think or belive Rafael Nadal has anything to prove as a tennis player or as a human being, hi is simply the great raw model the world need if the world wants to listen
Rafa is returning to play and I hope he is ready for the challenge . The last match Rafa played in October was in DC was a loss to Lloyd Harris which was very disappointing as Rafa was not up to the challenge as Harris returned well every looping shot to his backhand and kept Rafa at bay with a powerful first serve . I hope Rafa comes back playing more offensive tennis and with an improved service game and a less predictable return game. The foot injury should not be a hindrance or consideration to playing winning and dominant tennis . I would LOVE to see Rafa take the lead over Nole in winning the Australian and Franch Opens . This should be the #1 objective and I think it is achievable if Rafa plays his best tennis . I really hope so !
I’m sure you must have meant to say August.