Peng Shuai’s portrait was removed from China’s National Tennis Center after she accused vice-premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual abuse. Shuai has not been seen since she made the accusations and people are concerned about her safety because the Chinese government is known to crack down heavily on people who criticize government officials.
Shuai posted a detailed account of her relationship with the 75-year old Gaoli on social media. The post was deleted 20 minutes after Shuai posted it. All her recent posts have also been deleted.
Peng Shuai won two doubles grand slam titles in her career – the 2013 Wimbledon Championships and the 2014 French Open title. She also reached the semifinals in singles at the 2014 French Open, which was her best singles performance at a grand slam.
Shuai reached the world number 1 doubles ranking in 2014. Her peak singles ranking was world number 14., which she reached in 2011. She last played competitively in 2020.