FILE - Peng Shuai of China in action during her Women's Singles first-round match against Nao Hibino of Japan on day two of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Jan.
21, 2020, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Fred Lee/Getty Images) BEIJING - Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai on Monday touched on sexual assault allegations she made against a former high-ranking member of China's ruling Communist Party in a controlled interview in Beijing, calling the situation "an enormous misunderstanding."The interview was with French sports newspaper L'Equipe, with the questions submitted in advance and a Chinese Olympic committee official sitting in on the discussion, translating Peng’s comments from Chinese.
The format also appeared to allow for no sustained follow-up questions, leaving unanswered questions about her well-being and what exactly happened.Peng told L'Equipe that the concerns following her social media post were the result of "an enormous misunderstanding." Large parts of the hour-long interview, conducted Sunday in a Beijing hotel and organized through China’s Olympic committee with the International Olympic Committee's help, focused on Peng's playing career.
At age 36, and after multiple knee surgeries, Peng said she couldn't envisage a return to tour-level professional tennis. She hasn't played on the women's tour since February 2020.The newspaper published her comments verbatim, which it said was another pre-condition for the interview, in question-and-answer form.