Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai on Sunday denied ever making sexual assault allegations against a former Chinese government official, Reuters reported.
Peng, a former doubles champion, has made few public appearances since writing a now-deleted social media post accusing former Chinese vice premier Zhang Gaoli of forcing her to have sex with him despite repeated refusals following a round of tennis.
In a video posted by Singapore media outlet Lianhe Zaobao over the weekend, Peng said she never made sexual assault accusations against anyone and that a previous social media post that rocked the global sports world had been misunderstood.
“First, I need to stress one point that is extremely important, I have never said or written that anyone has sexually assaulted me, I have to clearly stress this point,” Peng said in the video appearance.
Peng also said that her now-deleted Weibo post detailing her accusation was a “private matter,” adding that “people have many misunderstandings” about her initial post, according to Reuters.
Peng also said in the video that she wrote a letter to Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Chairman and CEO Steve Simon denying having made allegations of assault.
In a statement, Simon said he “had a hard time believing” Peng wrote the letter.
Peng’s whereabouts led tennis stars such as Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Billie Jean King and Novak Djokovic to use their platforms to express their concerns.
In response to the scandal, the WTA suspended its tournaments in China earlier this month until an investigation into the allegations is completed.
The International Olympic Committee previously held two video calls with Peng. While she assured Olympic officials of her well-being, there were no reports at the time that she had denied making the allegations against the former vice premier.