France’s Caroline Garcia says she is looking forward to returning to China later this session after the WTA announced on Thursday that they will resume holding events in the country.
Tournaments in China had been suspended since December 2021 due to concerns about the safety of former world No.1 doubles player Peng Shuai who previously accused a government official of sexual assault. There are fears that Peng has been censored by authorities with the majority of her media appearances since then being through state-controlled media. WTA CEO Steve Simon has called for an investigation into the matter and decided to suspend relations with China after they failed to resolve the issue.
However, in a major climbdown, the WTA Tour has conceded that it is unlikely that they will win their argument with Chinese officials and has decided to resume hosting events in the country which will be a big financial benefit. In 2019 nine tournaments were held in the region which had a combined prize money pool of $30.4 million.
“After 16 months of suspended tennis competition in China and sustained efforts at achieving our original requests, the situation has shown no sign of changing. We have concluded we will never fully secure those goals, and it will be our players and tournaments who ultimately will be paying an extraordinary price for their sacrifices.” The WTA said in a statement.
“For these reasons, the WTA is lifting its suspension of the operation of tournaments in the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) and will resume tournaments in China this September.”
The U-turn has been welcomed by world No.5 Garcia who says she understands the WTA’s decision. The Frenchwoman has won three Tour titles in China so far in her career, including premier events in Wuhan and Beijing in 2017.
“The ATP and the ITF was already going back, and women’s tennis is following,” she told BBC Sport.
“In the past we have had some huge tournaments over there and I think it is an important swing for us in our calendar and I’m looking forward to it.”
Garcia isn’t the only person to speak in favour of the move. Former player and current captain of the British Billie Jean King Cup team, Anne Keothavong, told British media on Thursday that ‘business is business’ but added that Peng’s safety remains her main concern.
“From a tennis perspective, hopefully it will be a welcome return,” said Keothavong.
“I don’t know whether they have been able to investigate in the way that they would have liked, but tennis is a business. The WTA need to generate commercial revenue and the players need a circuit to compete.”
Furthermore, world No.154 Katie Boulter also welcomed the return of tournaments to China as it gives players more playing opportunities on the Tour.
However, Yaqiu Wang from The Human Rights Watch has said the development is a ‘huge disappointment’ for the Chinese Human Rights Community. In a statement, Wang said it is vital that Peng’s case continues to be in the limelight as it highlights what she described as ‘corruption and abuse’ at the top of the Chinese government.
“The WTA deserves credit for its initial stance, which was an act of courage, but the decision to move ahead with the tournament will be a huge disappointment for the Chinese human rights community. It is not surprising, though, given the money at stake and the record of other international businesses in China,” said Wang.
“International businesses need to work together to do the right thing. It’s hard to challenge the Chinese government alone, but if businesses band together to address China’s flouting of human rights, the power balance can shift.”
“It’s important to keep Peng Shuai’s case in the public eye. What she did initially was extraordinary. It gave the world a glimpse into the corruption and abuses at the very top of the Chinese government. For it, she is still paying a price.”
The WTA is yet to update their calendar for the second half of the 2023 season but The Daily Mail has previously reported that seven tournaments will be held in China later this year, including the WTA Finals in Shenzhen.
