I didn't accuse anyone of sexual assault, says Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai
Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai on Sunday (Dec 19) denied ever having accused anyone of sexually assaulting her, adding that an e-mail she had sent to the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) president seeking to assure him of her well-being was done "entirely of my own free will".
This is the first time Ms Peng has directly addressed the matter in person since she disappeared from public view in early November after a post claiming former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli had sexually assaulted her appeared on her verified Weibo account.
In a brief interview with the Lianhe Zaobao Chinese-language newspaper on the sidelines of the International Ski Federation's cross-country skiing competition in Shanghai on Sunday, Ms Peng said she had been residing in her home in Beijing all this time, and that her movements had not been restricted in any way.
Asked about the allegations made on Weibo - which were scrubbed by Chinese internet censors within minutes - she said: "First, I would like to stress a very important point: I have never said nor written anything accusing anyone of sexually assaulting me. I would like to emphasise this point very clearly."
She added: "Regarding Weibo, first of all, it's a matter related to my personal privacy. Everyone has had many misunderstandings. Their misreadings do not stand."
Ms Peng was dressed in a red T-shirt, black trousers, white sneakers and a dark down jacket with "China" emblazoned behind it, according to the Zaobao report.
Asked if she was under surveillance following the matter, she replied after a brief hesitation: "Why would that be the case? I have always been very free."
In the eight-minute interview with Zaobao, Ms Peng also said that an e-mail she had sent to WTA head Steve Simon last month seeking to assure him that she was neither missing nor in danger was legitimate.
She had penned the Chinese version of the e-mail "entirely of my own free will", she said, but that state media CGTN had published a translated version of it in English as her own standard of the English language was not up to par.
"What was conveyed (by CGTN) was no different from what I meant to convey to Mr Simon," she added.
Regarding a video call she had with the head of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach last month, Ms Peng confirmed that "the video call took place at my home in Beijing", adding that she was grateful for Mr Bach and others' concerns for her.
Mr Bach had faced international criticism for not having called for guarantees of Ms Peng's freedom during the video call, which failed to quell public concerns over the tennis star's personal safety.
Earlier on Sunday, a Global Times reporter, Ms Chen Qingqing, had tweeted footage of Ms Peng speaking with Chinese basketball icon Yao Ming.
Ms Chen said the seven-second video was sent to her by a "friend" and that it was taken at an event to promote cross-country skiing in Shanghai.
Ms Chen also posted a photo of Ms Peng posing with Mr Yao and two other Chinese sports figures - Olympic sailing champion Xu Lijia and retired table tennis player Wang Liqin - standing next to a banner for the "FIS Cross-Country Skiing China City Tour" with Shanghai's Yangpu bridge in the background.
Ms Peng, 35, a Wimbledon and French Open doubles champion, became the centre of a global media storm after a lengthy essay was posted on her Weibo account, accusing Chinese former senior official Zhang Gaoli of having coerced her into sex.
Her disappearance from public view immediately after the post sparked widespread international concern, with the United Nations and the White House both making statements.
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