CEO of the WTA Steve Simonduring an interview, he talked about him on the shua peng‘s problem and the future of tennis in China and the Simona Halepthe doping ban. An unresolved issue for Simon, with an underlying cause that worries him and players alike, is when tour events, including the WTA Finals, will return to China.
A year ago, the WTA suspended all tournaments in that country due to concerns for the safety of Peng Shuai, a former doubles Slam champion who has accused a former Chinese government official of violence against her. Simon would have wanted a full and transparent investigation into her allegations and an opportunity for the tour to contact her, but it hasn’t happened yet.
He said: «We hope to go back to China, but obviously we have some problems to solve.» He listed two: Peng’s situation and ongoing coronavirus restrictions: «We have to figure out Peng. We’re sure you’re safe and we know you’re in Beijing, which is great.»
we want it But we have not received the guarantees that we want about the investigation that we request. What is the true story? That’s all we ask. What is the history? Obviously, she had a lot of courage to present what she said.
The principles involved are in line with what we stand for as an organization. And what we ask for is an investigation to understand what happened, what didn’t happen, and then treat it appropriately.»
WTA CEO: «The truth will come out about Simona Halep’s doping sanction»
The location of the WTA Finals in Fort Worth was not announced until September, the schedule putting them right before the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Scotland next week drew some criticism and there were thousands of empty seats.
during the first two days of competition. Simon called him a last minute destination and called the place probably a bit big for us but a beautiful arena. Simon also said that he spoke with Simona Halep, the two-time Grand Slam champion.
Provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned substance at the US Open in August: «I think she didn’t do something intentionally. That being said, I’m a strong believer in our anti-doping program, and I think it’s good, and our players support it too.
And if you ask Simona, she supports it. I am very confident that as we go through the process, the truth will come out and we will deal with it accordingly.. But I have a lot of sympathy for Simona, because she would never question her integrity.»
