Four years ago, the tennis world witnessed a scandalous allegation that brought the WTA together, regardless of their rivalries. Tournaments were affected, including the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. A two-time doubles Grand Slam winner and the first Chinese woman to become World No.1 in doubles accused the country’s vice premier of a physical assault in 2021.

Since then, WTA started boycotting China, which only ended this year. WTA was lauded for its firm stance as it incurred substantial financial losses due to this decision. Since the Beijing Open has started this year, the issue resurfaced. America’s top seed, Coco Gauff, expressed concerns over the skeletons in the cupboard resting in China.

Coco Gauff speaks her mind about an unsolved mystery

The only WTA champion to reach the semi-final at the US Open alleged that Zhang Gaoli, a 76-year-old former premier of the People’s Republic of China, sexually assaulted her. Peng Shuai, a 37-year-old, posted a screenshot on Weibo, the country’s Twitter equivalent. Shuai explained the events in detail that led to the alleged assault. She also admitted that they were involved in an affair that lasted over a year after the alleged assault.

After going public with such serious allegations, both the screenshots and Peng vanished in thin air. This led to a public outcry, and several athletes participated in the ‘#WhereIsPengShuai’ movement.

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During the press conference, Gauff said what happened to Peng “was a concerning situation when it happened, and there’s still a lot of questions raised about that.”

Talking about the safety, the teen said, “Regarding my safety here… the hospitality that I have received so far has been really great.” Though the US Open Champion said she felt secure in China, she revealed, “…obviously, I wish (Peng) the best, and I hope that she’s doing well.” The Chinese player showed no trace for over two weeks.

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But Peng appeared out of the blue on the internet, and several pictures of her circulated the internet. The frequency of the 37-year-old being active on social media increased each day to the point that the world started to question its accuracy, just like the accuracy of the screenshot.

Is the truth still hiding behind the curtains, waiting to be unveiled?

The 23 doubles title winner is a fluent English speaker. But her post was in Chinese, and within minutes, it was taken down from the internet. But the screenshot is still saved on other profiles, and the distorted way of posting, including every minute detail of the Chinese player’s encounter with Zhang, the role of his wife, shocking information, other high-profile names, and sensitive imagery.

The whereabouts of the former top athlete are still unclear. Her family and friends claim she is safe and well, but no concrete evidence was found. But the Chinese player took back her allegations, claiming that her statements were misinterpreted. Peng’s pictures in high-security public events and video clips circulated the internet, but none of the WTA professionals or authorities met her in person.

The Wimbledon Championships doubles winner has not played since, and her profile on the WTA website does not reflect ‘inactive.’ The world is still hoping for the return of Peng and anticipating closing Pandora’s box of suspicions, accusations, and secrecy. The former World No.1 tennis doubles player had over 1 million followers on social media. But one Weibo post made her life a mystery to the world.

Peng’s family maintained a shallow profile and did not lend their voice to the numerous outrages and protests. In a bizarre move, the Chinese government has denied requests for transparency over Peng’s issue. The refusal still raises eyebrows, and the pandemic broke out around the same time, which diverted the world’s attention from the Chinese champion. The campaign to find Peng is ongoing, and it remains unsure if the world will ever find the truth.

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