WTA chairman has ‘hard time’ believing Peng Shuai actually wrote the email regarding her safety

"I have a hard time believing that Peng Shuai actually wrote the email we received."

The chairman of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) admits he has a 'hard time believing' that Peng Shuai actually wrote the email they received regarding her safety. The Chinese tennis star has not been seen since posting allegations of sexual assault against a former senior Chinese official two weeks ago. Although the WTA said it had confirmed that she was "safe and not under any physical threat", they were not able to directly reach her. In an email sent to the WTA, Ms Peng purportedly says the allegations are "not true". However, Steve Simon, chairman of the WTA, said the message "only raises" his concerns about Ms Peng's safety. Many people on social media have expressed their doubt on its authenticity. https://twitter.com/amyyqin/status/1461099621829287940 Peng - a former world number one doubles player - posted on Chinese social media site Weibo saying that she was "forced" into a sexual relationship with Zhang Gaoli.

Her allegations, which were soon deleted from China's internet, were made earlier this month and marked the first time that such a claim has been made against one of China's senior political leaders.

Zhang, 75, served as China's vice-premier between 2013 and 2018 and was a close ally of President Xi Jinping, and has not responded to her claims.