Open, and Qatar Total Open, she was defeated in either the first or the second round. In February 2022, Peng announced her retirement during an interview with the French magazine L'Équipe, where she also mentioned her 2021 social post and subsequent events. “There has not been any change in the WTA position on a return to China and we have only confirmed our 2023 calendar through the US Open,” the WTA said in a statement. “A return to the region will require a resolution to the Peng situation in which she took a bold step in publicly coming forth with the accusation that she was sexually assaulted by a senior Chinese government leader. Sexual assault allegation and disappearance In November 2021, Peng accused Zhang Gaoli, a retired Chinese vice-premier and high-ranking CCP member, reportedly of sexual assault in 2018. The revelation came from her Weibo post, which disclosed that the two had gotten together even before 2018. Zhang officially retired that year, however, and after inviting Peng to visit him and his wife, he wanted to have sex with her again. Peng refused at first, but Zhang continued to try to persuade her. Scared and panicking, she finally agreed due to previous feelings for him. They renewed their semi-private relationship until a dispute on 30 October. Peng's post drew attention to the MeToo movement in China, where activist Zhou Xiaoxuan expressed her sympathies, but it was removed within 20 minutes of being uploaded, and related discussions became widely censored in China. Peng did not communicate on social media afterwards and was not reachable by the WTA. Chinese officials gave vague responses to inquiries, while the Chinese Tennis Association said she was safe. WTA chief executive Steve Simon called on Chinese authorities to investigate her allegations and stop censoring the subject, and multiple tennis personalities expressed their concerns. Depictions of Peng emerged via Chinese state media, but various China watchers and human rights advocates worried that they might be government propaganda and she might not be free. The International Tennis Federation, Amnesty International, the EU, and the UNHCHR called for proof of her safety, while the WTA decided to suspend all tournaments in China. The IOC said it held two video calls with her. In a later video from Lianhe Zaobao and an interview with the French magazine L'Équipe, Peng said she had not accused anyone of sexual assault, but some