As reports swirl as to what has caused tennis star Peng Shuai to recede from the public eye, some are reflecting on what a fierce and strong opponent she is on the tennis court, the respect those who have played against her is towering. Peng made a lengthy post on Chinese social media Weibo, about a sexual assault years ago she endured at the hands of Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier and member of the ruling Communist Party’s powerful Politburo Standing Committee, and since has disappeared from the public. As reported by the AP:
Peng Shuai refused to give up, that is what she is best known for, her determination on the court to push herself
Struggling to stay upright as suffocating heat and humidity drained her energy in the U.S. Open semifinals, Peng Shuai refused to give up.
She paused between points to clutch at her left thigh and put her weight on her racket as if it were a cane. She leaned against a wall and wiped away tears.
Helped off the court and diagnosed with heat stroke, doctors told her to quit. But Peng still came back for more. Six more points until she eventually collapsed to the ground and Caroline Wozniacki, her opponent in that 2014 match, came around the net to check on her.
Only then, with her body pushed to the absolute limit — maybe even beyond the limit — did Peng retire from the match that marked the pinnacle of her singles career.
Ultimately, she was taken away in a wheelchair.
For a player who overcame heart surgery at the age of 12, quitting doesn’t come lightly to the trailblazing tennis standout, who has disappeared after accusing a former top Chinese official of sexually assaulting her.
Her hard-earned grit and a unique playing style featuring two-handed grips on both forehands and backhands carried her to 23 tour-level doubles titles, including at Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014.
Introduced to tennis at the age of 8 by an uncle, the 35-year-old Peng is an admirer of John McEnroe and has a lucky cow on her tennis bag to honor her birth in a year of the ox.
She enjoys Chinese cuisine, reading, shopping, and swimming and “considers herself quiet,” according to her WTA Tour bio.
When she reached the No. 1 ranking in doubles in February 2014, Peng became the first Chinese player — male or female — to reach the top spot in either singles or doubles.
Besides her two Grand Slam titles in doubles — both achieved with Taiwanese partner Hsieh Su-wei — Peng also reached the Australian Open final in 2017 with Andrea Hlavackova.
In singles, besides her U.S. Open semifinal appearance, Peng also won two titles — at Tianjin in 2016 and Nanchang in 2017 — and finished runner-up in seven tournaments.
Attempting to follow in the footsteps of Li Na, a fellow Chinese player and the first Grand Slam singles champion from Asia, Peng also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon three times in singles, the fourth round at the Australian Open twice and the third round at the French Open twice.
Her top ranking in singles was No. 14 in August 2011.
Peng played for China when her country hosted the 2008 Beijing Olympics, as well as at the 2012 London Games and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
She also won three medals when China hosted the Asian Games in Guangzhou in 2010 — gold in singles and the team event and bronze in doubles.
While not officially retired, she played her last match in Qatar in February 2020.
By ANDREW DAMPF
