‘Devastated and shocked’: Serena reacts to missing Chinese star

Serena Williams has become the latest top-flight player to voice her fears after Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai vanished without a trace.

Serena Williams joined the growing chorus of concern for Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, whose whereabouts have been shrouded in mystery since she alleged a powerful Chinese politician sexually assaulted her.

There are fears about Peng’s wellbeing because the former Wimbledon and French Open doubles champion has been unreachable for two weeks since making alarming allegations against China’s former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli.

“I am devastated and shocked to hear about the news of my peer, Peng Shuai,” former world number one Williams wrote on Twitter. “I hope she is safe and found as soon as possible.

“This must be investigated and we must not stay silent.

“Sending love to her and her family during this incredibly difficult time. #whereispengshuai.”

Williams shared a photo of Peng with the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai — and the image has gone viral online as fellow tennis players, fans, pundits and journalists demand answers about her situation.

The WTA was widely praised for sharing the image and hashtag on its social media channels, as did coach Patrick Mouratoglou and stars including Benoit Paire, Julia Goerges and Maria Sakkari.

I am devastated and shocked to hear about the news of my peer, Peng Shuai. I hope she is safe and found as soon as possible. This must be investigated and we must not stay silent. Sending love to her and her family during this incredibly difficult time. #whereispengshuaipic.twitter.com/GZG3zLTSC6

— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) November 18, 2021

On Friday the International Tennis Writers’ Association also released a statement in support of Peng.

“Peng Shuai’s allegations are very serious, and she is very brave to have made them,” the statement said.

“We fully support the efforts of the WTA and other tennis bodies in calling for meaningful assurances that Peng Shuai is safe, and for the allegations she has made to be properly investigated, without censorship.

“In the meantime, we wish Peng Shuai and her family and friends all the strength they need to get through this very stressful time.”

Four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka said she was in “shock” about Peng, writing a short statement on Twitter, where she has 1.1 million followers, accompanied by the #WhereIsPengShuai hashtag.

“Censorship is never OK at any cost, I hope Peng Shuai and her family are safe and OK,” the Japanese star wrote.

“I’m in shock of the current situation and I’m sending love and light her way.”

Speaking after his ATP Tour Finals match against Casper Ruud, Men’s world No. 1 Novak Djokovic described the situation as “terrible”.

“Honestly it’s shocking that she’s missing,” said the Serb. “More so that it’s someone that I’ve seen on the tour in previous years quite a few times.

“There’s not much more to say than to hope that she’s OK and it’s just terrible … I can imagine how her family feels, you know, that she’s missing.”

Serena has spoken out. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

The WTA has threatened to pull tournaments from China unless satisfactory evidence of Peng’s safety is issued soon, which came after Chinese state media reported the tennis star had sent an email allaying any concerns about her wellbeing.

The email, purportedly written by Peng herself, read: “Hello everyone this is Peng Shuai. 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 news in that release, including the allegation of sexual assault, is not true. I’m not missing, nor am I unsafe. I’ve just been resting at home and everything is fine. Thank you again for caring about me.

“If the WTA publishes any more news about me, please verify it with me, and release it with my consent. As a professional tennis player, I thank you all for your companionship and consideration.

“I hope to promote Chinese tennis with you all if I have the chance in the future. I hope Chinese tennis will become better and better.

“Once again, thank you for your consideration.”

The email was met with widespread scepticism among members of the tennis media. Nobody actually believed it was written by Peng.

The world wants answers over Peng Shuai. (Photo by Fred Dufour/AFP)

Soon after the email was made public, WTA chief Steve Simon released a statement in response, saying he too did not believe Peng sent that correspondence herself.

“The statement released today by Chinese state media concerning Peng Shuai only raises my concerns as to her safety and whereabouts,” Simon said.

“I have a hard time believing that Peng Shuai actually wrote the email we received or believes what is being attributed to her. Peng Shuai displayed incredible courage in describing an allegation of sexual assault against a former top official in the Chinese government.

“The WTA and the rest of the world need independent and verifiable proof that she is safe. I have repeatedly tried to reach her via numerous forms of communication, to no avail.

“Peng Shuai must be allowed to speak freely, without coercion or intimidation from any source. Her allegation of sexual assault must be respected, investigated with full transparency and without censorship.

“The voices of women need to be heard and respected, not censored nor dictated to.”

Details of Peng’s reported accusations that former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli had sexually assaulted her, remain scrubbed from China’s internet. Searches for their names on key portals come back empty.

Searches for her account on China’s Twitter-like Weibo platform also returned no results, although the account was still accessible via a direct web link.