The statement started by saying,“Hello everyone this is Peng Shuai” and went on to say that everything is fine and she was resting at home.
“Regarding the recent news released on the official website of the WTA,the content has not been confirmed or verified by myself and it was released without my consent,” the statement said.
“The news in the release,including the allegation of sexual assault,is not true. I am not missing,nor am I unsafe. I’ve just been resting at home and everything is fine. Thank you for caring about me.”
The statement asked for her privacy to be respected and said that she looks forward to once again playing tennis for China “if I have the chance in the future”.
But there are fears that Peng could be under house arrest in Tianjin,the port city where she lives,as a punishment for challenging the regime,according to a report in the LondonTelegraph.
WTA boss Steve Simon released a statement of his own two hours later,calling for Peng to be allowed to speak freely.