WTA Tour set to return to China in 2023 following suspension over Peng Shuai situation
Tennis: WTA Tour set to return to China in 2023 following suspension over Peng Shuai situation
Tennis is set to return to China next year after three years of suspension following the Chinese Tennis Association’s decision to suspend the WTA Tour’s Beijing Grand Slam for three years from August of this year.
It has been confirmed that the second highest ranked player in China’s top 100, Peng Shuai, will return to the competition in 2023, just four years after she was suspended. Peng, who has been ranked in the top ten since 2010, has also dropped out from Chinese tennis and was suspended by the WTA a year after coming to Beijing.
The move has generated much criticism from the Chinese tennis community, with the WTA, and even former WTA player Venus Williams saying “It’s sad, when a country is making history and is hosting the Olympic Games and the World Championships at the same time and we still don’t have real women’s tennis.”
WTA chief executive officer Sally Pearson, along with the WTA’s Board of Directors, has said: “This decision has been heavily considered and I am confident that we have demonstrated our willingness to provide a level playing field for all players.
“We will continue to welcome all players to the WTA Tour next season and beyond as we work to ensure that our players remain at the top of world tennis and compete as equals.”
The WTA Tour China will return in 2023 following the decision by the Chinese Tennis Association to suspend the tour until August.
Two WTA events have already been cancelled this season and three more are set to take place in September. The third event, the Wuhan Open, has been postponed following the coronavirus pandemic.
Tennis: WTA Tour set to return to China in 2023 following suspension over Peng Shuai situation
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