Naomi Osaka breaks silence on mysterious disappearance of fellow tennis player Peng Shuai

Japanese tennis player and world no.1 Naomi Osaka on Wednesday reacted to the shock missing of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai. Osaka took to her social media to join a growing movement in the international tennis community demanding answers about the whereabouts of the missing player. The Chinese tennis star went missing after she accused a powerful Chinese politician of sexual assault. 

Osaka joined others in demanding answers about Shuai by using the hashtag #WhereisPengShuai. The Japanese star took to her Twitter account to post a message raising awareness about Peng's plight. "I was recently informed of a fellow tennis player that has gone missing shortly after revealing that she has been sexually abused," Osaka wrote in a message.

Furthermore, Osaka also hit out at the censorship policy of China and said that she was in ‘shock’ of the situation. "Censorship is never ok at any cost, I hope Peng Shuai and her family are safe and ok. I'm in shock of the current situation and I'm sending love and light her way," Osaka added.

Several other Tennis stars have also joined the movement questioning the whereabouts of their missing fellow player.

Djokovic calls Peng Shaui’s missing a "terrible" incident

Shocked by the sudden disappearance of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, tennis world champion Novak Djokovic called it a "terrible" incident and hoped that she is fine. Reacting to the incident, Djokovic, while speaking to reporters after winning his ATP finals open said, "I did hear about it a week ago. Honestly, it's shocking that she is missing, more so that it's someone that I have seen on the tour in the previous years quite a few times. It's not much more to say than hope that she will be found, and she is ok. It's terrible... I can imagine just how her family feels that she is missing", he added. 

Peng Shaui missing after accusing politician of sexual assault

It has been more than a week now since Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai has not been heard from. Earlier in her November 2 post on Weibo, Shuai accused former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of the Chinese Communist Party of sexual abuse. The post which was deleted shortly after that states that she was coerced into sex with him without her consent. The player further added that she would not be able to provide any proof regarding the same. 

The tennis star's social media post took the internet by storm and many came forward with their own experience of sexual harassment. In the first kind of attack on Chinese political leaders, Shuai's post has now been scrapped from the internet and no statement has yet been made from the Chinese side. Meanwhile, WTA chairman Simon, in a statement to the New York Times, informed about receiving assurance from the Chinese Tennis Association of Peng being safe and that she is not under any physical threat. 

Image: AP