Peng

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

RE: Peng

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

kundalini wrote:
JonH comes home wrote:
www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/apr/13/tennis-peng-shuai-wta-china-u-turn

I have to say Im really disheartened by the wta doing this. Sad really.

Im also surprised no one else has commented, I realise it is a British board but presumably in general folks have moved on from this.
The WTA and perhaps tennis in general, seem to be in a really bad place at the moment. I'm surprised by this decision but perhaps I shouldn't be. Whether it is the Russian invasion of Ukraine, global warming, taking the tour to countries that have so little respect for women, just because of the cash on offer; the WTA evidently stands for nothing but money. The premier sport for women, at least in terms of earning power, has no integrity.

Definitely - Simon did well in his initial stance but failed a) in filling the commercial vacuum, being frank it is a mess and the last two wta finals showed them up and b) CVC came on board and the backbone just collapsed.

simon should have resigned IMO with this but clearly he wont. The logic is a mess - no progress, China clearly wont move so , heh, lets embrace them and take their money again . Pathetic

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

This is absolutely gutting. I'm really hoping that Peng isn't suffering too much. I wish that I could say that I'm surprised, but I can't say that I am with China's history. What a horrible world we live in!

RainDelay · Pro player

I think this is terrible. Be nice if the players collectively boycotted the tournaments there but imagine they won't.

LordBrownof · Futures level

Agree with all of the above - absolutely spineless from Simon/The Board (let's not forget they'll have made or ratified the decision). I hope some journalist digs into CVC's investments in China and finds the very obvious links. If anything, CVC should've spent this year supporting the WTA to find that alternative investment, so I'm afraid it's nothing but a decision based on money and profit.

Players unlikely to revolt sadly. Even a cautionary statement from the Players Council would be something but that's clearly not going to happen.

christ · Futures level

I can't imagine a lot of support from the powers that be for one player when they are not interested in "taking sides" against an invasion.

Rich2310 · County player

I am surprised that the women players would be willing to play in tournaments in China. What real evidence is there that Peng is ok and not been told what to say. Nothing seems to have properly happened after she made her allegations. But being careful what I am saying here a person would not normally just make something up like that. We all know that some places are good at covering things up and changing the story to suit them. But I would have shown solidarity and stood together as one and said NO. We won't play until the situation is sorted properly.

RainDelay · Pro player

What annoys me is the argument they gave for going back. We've been unable to speak to Peng at all by boycotting but maybe if we go there then something will change and we will be allowed access to her. Absolutely awful.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

RainDelay wrote:
What annoys me is the argument they gave for going back. We've been unable to speak to Peng at all by boycotting but maybe if we go there then something will change and we will be allowed access to her. Absolutely awful.

I know, really ridiculous !

Lambda · Challenger level

How can you have a boycott when no tournaments could be held anyway because China's zero Covid policy?

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Lambda wrote:
How can you have a boycott when no tournaments could be held anyway because China's zero Covid policy?

Ha - is China not opening up again, though - I am sure I read that somewhere and given these events would be in Sept/Oct period, they might be able to play by then?

Lambda · Challenger level

Yes, they are.

This so called boycott only existed while tournaments couldn't be held anyway is my point.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Lambda wrote:
Yes, they are.

This so called boycott only existed while tournaments couldn't be held anyway is my point.

Ah yes - so a bit of a fudge really, which made the wta appear stronger than they were.

on reflection, the optics are even worse than I thought!

chavkev · Intermediate Club Player

Times have certainly changed. It used to be that individual athletes/performers would break sanctions in order to make money (playing at Sun City etc). Nowadays entire governing bodies have got in on the act. Nothing has changed in China except the potential to make money has returned. Snooker is going back to China next year too.

I feel very discomforted by this, but I suppose that the WTA see it as doing right by their members as China makes a big difference to the bottom line in women's tennis.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

And the ITF also wade in and go full tilt for China with the re institution of the Juniors World Tour Finals

www.itftennis.com/en/news-and-media/articles/2023-itf-world-tennis-tour-junior-finals-to-return-to-chengdu/

Not likely to have any British players but it shows where we are with all of this.