Updated May 17th, 2022 at 23:14 IST
WTA releases updated 2022 calendar; China boycotted over Peng Shuai row
The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has released an updated tournament calendar for 2022 with no events taking place in China due to the Peng Shuai row.
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The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has released an updated tournament calendar for 2022, as per which no events will take place in China, reportedly due to the Peng Shuai issue. The mystery surrounding the 36-year old Peng Shuai's disappearance continues, especially after she abruptly announced her retirement from the sport in February 2022.
Shuai was the talking point of the tennis fraternity after she had accused retired Vice Premier of China, Zhang Gaoli, of sexual assault. Shuai has not taken part in the WTA Tour since February 2020.
WTA releases updated 2022 tournament calendar
The WTA has released an updated tournament calendar for the 2022 season where they have outlined the schedule for all the tournaments that will take place in 2022. The news was relayed by WTA chairman and CEO Steve Simon, who also added that there are likely to be more updates to the calendar in due time. Mentioned below are the updates to the 2022 calendar:
| Week | Date | Event | Location |
| 30 | July 25 | WTA 250 BNP Paribas Poland Open | Relocates from Gdynia to Warsaw, Poland |
| 37 | September 12 | WTA 250 Japan Women’s Open | Osaka, Japan |
| 38 | September 19 | WTA 500 Toray PPO Tennis | Tokyo, Japan |
| 38 | September 19 | WTA 250 Hana Bank Korea Open | Seoul, South Korea |
| 39 | September 26 | WTA 250 Tallinn Open | Tallinn, Estonia |
| 40 | October 3 | WTA 500 J&T Banka Ostrava Open | Ostrava, Czech Republic |
| 40 | October 3 | WTA 250 Jasmin Open Tunisia | Monastir, Tunisia |
| 41 | October 10 | WTA 500 San Diego Open | San Diego, California |
| 41 | October 10 | WTA 250 Transylvania Open | Cluj-Napoca, Romania |
| 42 | October 17 | WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open Akron | Guadalajara, Mexico |
The fall schedule will include 12 WTA 125 events through Europe, and North and South America. As a result, the total number of events for this season will increase to at least 24.
The WTA has announced an updated tournament calendar for the 2022 season ⬇️
— wta (@WTA)
What happened to Peng Shuai?
Following the 'mysterious' disappearance of Peng Shuai, both the ATP and the WTA along with some nations, including the United States, increased their pressure on China to reveal the whereabouts of their tennis star. While China had carried out some interviews with Peng Shuai, none of it was deemed substantial enough to prove that she is safe, as most of them were deemed to be concerted in a fashion to protect their leaders.
However, that was far from the end as Shuai's unexpected retirement announcement only added to the existing speculation surrounding her disappearance. While speaking to French publication L'Équipe in February earlier this year, Shuai said, "Tennis completely changed my life. It brought me joy, challenges, and so much more. Sometimes it's hard to say goodbye and retire…Even if I no longer participate in professional competitions, I will always be a tennis player."
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Published May 17th, 2022 at 23:14 IST