Month: November 2021

Serena Williams has said she is “devastated and shocked” by the case of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, whose whereabouts have become a mystery sparking international concern.

Doubles grand slam winner Peng is said to have been missing since making sexual assault allegations against a former top Chinese government official.

She posted on Chinese social media site Weibo allegations against Zhang Gaoli – the ex-vice premier and member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee – claiming he had forced her to have sexual relations with him.

The head of the women’s tour, WTA chairman and CEO Steve Simon, has questioned the veracity of an email purportedly written by the two-time major doubles champion saying that she is safe.

Now 23-time grand slam singles winner Williams has added her powerful voice, stating: “I am devastated and shocked to hear about the news of my peer, Peng Shuai. I hope she is safe and found as soon as possible. This must be investigated and we must not stay silent.”

WTA boss Simon said he had “a hard time believing” the email in Peng’s name had come from the 35-year-old player herself. The message stated the allegations of sexual assault were not true and that Peng was “resting at home”.

Former world number one Williams said she was “sending love to her and her family during this incredibly difficult time”, adding the hashtag “#whereispengshuai” to her Twitter message.

Williams and Peng have faced each other four times in their careers, with the American winning each of their singles matches, the most recent in 2014, while Peng and Sun Tiantian beat Williams and sister Venus Williams in doubles in Bangalore in 2008.

There has been concern throughout sport and beyond for the wellbeing of Peng, a French Open and Wimbledon doubles winner.

On Wednesday, Simon said it was important that there was “independent and verifiable proof that she is safe”, saying the statement issued in her name “only raises my concerns as to her safety and whereabouts”.

He said he had made efforts to contact Peng “via numerous forms of communication, to no avail”, saying she must be allowed to speak “freely, without coercion or intimidation from any source”.

Peng’s social media post containing her allegations, along with all of her other content, has been removed from Weibo.

Four-time major winner Naomi Osaka also spoke up this week, with the Japanese star stating: “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.”

Daniil Medvedev withstood a superb fightback from home favourite Jannik Sinner to win a third straight match at the ATP Finals in Turin.

The world number two, who had already booked his semi-final slot with victory over Alexander Zverev on Tuesday, saved two match points on his way to a 6-0 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (10-8) win in two hours and 32 minutes.

Medvedev committed just three unforced errors in a sublime opening set, wrapping it up with the minimum of fuss in 26 minutes.

A shell-shocked Sinner soon found his composure, though, and after a bruising hour and five minutes took the second set in the tie-break.

The Italian powered into a 4-2 lead in the decider, yet Medvedev fought back and sealed victory in the tie-break with a backhand winner on his second match point.

Reigning champion Medvedev will face either Casper Ruud or Andrey Rublev in the last four, with the pair facing off on Friday in the Green Group.

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS   

Medvedev  – 18/5
Sinner – 5/2

BREAK POINTS WON 

Medvedev – 5/11
Sinner – 2/5

Casper Ruud came from behind to defeat Andrey Rublev and reach the last four of the ATP Finals on his debut appearance at the event.

The Norwegian will play defending champion Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals after a gruelling 2-6 7-5 7-6 (7-5) victory over Rublev in Turin on Friday that lasted two hours and 24 minutes.

Ruud had lost all four of his previous meetings with Rublev, who promptly moved ahead by comfortably winning his ninth straight set in this head-to-head.

Rublev then looked poised for victory when he struck first in the second set but Ruud, who hit 39 winners, fought back with two breaks of his own to force the decider in a high-quality contest.

The 22-year-old again bounced back from being broken in the third set and ultimately prevailed in a tense tie-break, producing a big serve when it mattered most with his second match point.

Ruud therefore finishes second to Novak Djokovic in the Green Group, with Rublev exiting at the round-robin stage for a second straight year after narrowly losing the winner-takes-all clash.

With Alexander Zverev also through, this is the first time since 1994 that three of the four semi-finalists are former champions – with Ruud the exception.

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS 

Rublev – 33/22
Ruud – 39/31

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS 

Rublev – 14/3
​Ruud – 14/3

BREAK POINTS WON 

Rublev – 4/11
​Ruud – 3/5

Casper Ruud revealed his approach was to “fight fire with fire” in his huge win over Andrey Rublev at the ATP Finals and is already relishing getting a shot at Daniil Medvedev.

The Norwegian has enjoyed a fine 2021, winning five ATP Tour titles, and has now moved into the semi-finals in Turin on his debut appearance at the prestigious year-ending event.

Ruud appeared to be on the way out when he was trailing by a set and a break against Rublev, having lost all four of the previous meetings between the pair.

But he fought back to win 2-6 7-5 7-6 (7-5) on Friday and extend his impressive season by at least one more match.

“The court is playing very fast and Andrey plays very fast,” said Ruud, who triumphed despite only winning 98 of the 208 points played in an intense battle where his Russian opponent also impressed.

“He rips the ball harder than anyone on the tour and serves very well on his first serve. 

“We all want to play under control and with initiative, but it is not easy against Rublev because he makes you run and play defensively all the time. 

“I knew I had to fight fire with fire. 

“On the big points, I think I played quite smartly.”

Aside from Ruud, the other three semi-finalists (Medvedev, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev) are all former ATP Finals winners, making this event the first since 1994 where that has happened.

US Open champion Medvedev represents a daunting challenge in the last four for Ruud, who bounced back from an opening Green Group loss to Djokovic by beating alternate Cameron Norrie before his high-quality winner-takes-all clash with Rublev.

“I am looking forward to Saturday already – it is going to be another tough battle,” said the 22-year-old after firing down 14 aces in his victory.

“Medvedev is a different kind of player to Rublev. He is one of the best in the world, and he has proven himself as one of the best over the past two or three years. 

“I have played against him a couple of times and lost both, but I know a little bit about what I am going to face, and it is going to be a fun challenge.

“I am just enjoying the moment.”

Two of the last three players to reach the last four on debut at the ATP Finals have gone on to win the tournament, Grigor Dimitrov (2017) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (2019).

Ruud will dream of replicating that duo, but Rublev must come to terms with a second consecutive group-stage exit in the ATP Finals.

“It is tough,” Rublev said. “Hopefully I can get through it to get a good lesson, which will give me a huge improvement.

“In the moment, I got tight, which is normal. Casper played well. He has a great forehand – one of the best on tour.”

Novak Djokovic made it three wins from three at the ATP Finals as he eased past Cameron Norrie in just over an hour in Turin.

The Serbian had already won the Green Group before this dead rubber but maintained an exceptional level to beat Norrie 6-2 6-1 in the first ever meeting between the two.

It was already confirmed beforehand that Djokovic will face Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals on Saturday, and he began as he meant to go on here by breaking the Brit in the first game of the match, before doing so again in the fifth while strolling to a one-set lead in just 28 minutes.

Norrie – who was an injury-replacement for Stefanos Tsitsipas – showed some of the grit and skill that earned him a spot as second replacement for the season-ending tournament but struggled to keep up with the world number one.

Djokovic broke immediately again in the second set, though was forced to save a break point in the next game as his opponent tried to revive the match.

Norrie only managed to get 57 per cent of first serves in, and only won 52 per cent of those, compared to Djokovic who won 81 per cent of his first-serve points.

The 26-year-old was broken again in the fifth game of the second set, before a third break in the seventh secured Djokovic his third straight-sets win in a row at the Finals.

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Djokovic – 21/16
Norrie – 9/24

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS 

Djokovic – 5/0
Norrie – 1/2

BREAK POINTS WON 

Djokovic – 5/10
Norrie – 0/1

Novak Djokovic has supported the notion of tennis events being pulled from China if Peng Shuai is not found safe.

Doubles grand slam winner Peng is said to have been missing since making sexual assault allegations against Zhang Gaoli, the ex-vice premier and member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee.

The veracity of subsequent messages from Peng – both on email and posted in her name on Weibo – has been questioned.

WTA chairman Steve Simon told the BBC his organisation still had not heard from Peng directly and warned it would have no issue backing out of events in China without proof the player was safe.

WTA icons Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka have spoken of their concern for Peng, and men’s world number one Djokovic weighed in on Friday, offering his support to Simon’s stance.

“I support the statement of WTA as an organisation and also their president absolutely,” Djokovic said.

“The whole tennis community needs to back her up and her family, make sure that she’s safe and sound because if you would have tournaments on Chinese soil without resolving this situation, it would be a little bit strange.

“I heard that the WTA is willing to pull out from China with all the tournaments unless this is resolved. I support it 100 per cent.”

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley has insisted all players, including Novak Djokovic, must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to compete at the January grand slam.

Djokovic’s vaccination status is unclear, and he has so far refused to confirm whether he has been jabbed, which has led to doubts over whether he will be in Melbourne.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has made it clear that tennis stars arriving for the tournament must be prepared to show proof of having protection against the virus.

For Djokovic, who is competing this week at the ATP Finals in Turin, it remains to be seen whether he is willing to go through that process.

Tiley told Channel Nine: “It’s been made very clear, when the Premier announced several weeks ago that in order to participate at the Australian Open, to come into Victoria, you’ll need to be fully vaccinated.

“Immediately we communicated that to the playing group, it is the one direction that you take that is going to ensure everyone’s safety. All the playing group understands it, our patrons will need to be vaccinated, all the staff working at the Australian Open will need to be vaccinated.

“But when we’re in a state where there’s more than 90 per cent of the population fully vaccinated, they’ve done a magnificent job with that, it’s the right thing to do.”

Tiley said organisers “would love to see Novak” make the trip to a tournament he has won a record nine times.

Djokovic sits on 20 grand slam titles, the same mark as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. He needs one more to set the outright men’s record, having lost to Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final in September.

“We have been speaking to Novak Djokovic’s team and Novak and the team understand clearly that in order to come and play the Australian Open they’ll need to be fully vaccinated,” Tiley said, according to ABC.

“I know that he wants to play it, he’s clearly indicated that and he knows the conditions that he’d have to undergo in order to be eligible to play.”

The tournament is due to get under way on January 17, with the player bubbles and quarantine measures that were in force at the 2021 edition no longer in place and Melbourne Park set to operate at full capacity.

Australian player Nick Kyrgios this week said he believes the vaccine mandate is “morally wrong”.

Tennis star Peng Shuai is safe and well in her own home and will soon “show up in public” to allay concerns about her wellbeing, a leading Chinese state media journalist claimed on Saturday.

Peng has been widely considered to have been missing since making sexual assault allegations against Zhang Gaoli, the ex-vice premier and member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee.

Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Global Times, said two-time grand slam doubles champion Peng “didn’t want to be disturbed”.

Three purportedly new pictures of Peng have been reportedly posted on Chinese messaging app WeChat, along with a “Happy weekend” message.

They show her sitting in a room surrounded by soft toys, lifting up a grey cat, and holding a toy panda. In each of the pictures, which have not been externally verified as being recent, Peng appears to be well and content.

Hu wrote on Twitter: “I confirmed through my own sources today that these photos are indeed Peng Shuai’s current state.

“In the past few days, she stayed in her own home freely and she didn’t want to be disturbed. She will show up in public and participate in some activities soon.”

There have been fears expressed for Peng’s safety from within tennis and beyond, and the veracity of subsequent messages from Peng – both on email and posted in her name on Weibo – has been questioned.

There has also been early scepticism expressed about the latest pictures of the 35-year-old.

United States president Joe Biden on Friday called for China to provide “independent and verifiable proof of her whereabouts and that she is safe”.

WTA stars Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka are among leading figures to have spoken of their concern for Peng, and men’s world number one Novak Djokovic weighed in on Friday, saying he would support any move by the women’s tour to back out of events in China.

French sports daily L’Equipe on Saturday led its front page with the question “Ou est Peng Shuai?” – Where is Peng Shuai? – as global concern continued to escalate.

Australia’s former doubles world number one Paul McNamee said it was vital that hard evidence is produced to confirm she is safe and well.

McNamee wrote on Twitter: “Peng Shuai, an independent woman of substance, is someone I got to know pretty well. Along with everyone else in the tennis community, I am very worried, as we long to see her and, I reiterate, hear her voice in person.”

WTA chairman Steve Simon was quoted on Friday by the BBC as saying his organisation still had not heard from former French Open and Wimbledon doubles winner Peng directly and warned it would have no issue backing out of events in China without proof the player was safe.

The authenticity of an email said to have been sent from Peng this week to the WTA has been questioned, leading Simon to say it “only raises my concerns as to her safety and whereabouts”.

Daniil Medvedev will defend his ATP Finals crown on Sunday following a commanding straight-sets victory over Casper Ruud in the semi-finals.

Reigning champion Medvedev cruised through to the final after wrapping up a 6-4 6-2 win in one hour and 20 minutes in Turin.

The world number two will face Novak Djokovic or Alexander Zverev as he aims to become the ninth different player to successfully defend this title.

Medvedev reached the semi-finals of the year-ending championship with a match to spare, winning three out of three in the Red Group, and did not offer up a single break point against Ruud, who he had beaten in both of their previous meetings.

The US Open champion took early command, breaking in game three and holding before serving to love to take the opening set.

The winner of five ATP Tour titles in 2021, world number eight Ruud was aiming to become the third debutant to lift this trophy in five years after Grigor Dimitrov (2017) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (2019).

However the Norwegian, who squeezed past Andrey Rublev on Friday, was broken twice in the second set as Medvedev surged into a 5-2 lead, before serving out to complete a ninth straight win at this event.

Should Djokovic beat Zverev, it will bring up a fourth meeting of 2021 between the world’s top two players. The Serbian beat Medvedev at the Paris Masters earlier this month and in the Australian Open final at the start of the season, but went down in straight sets at Flushing Meadows in September.

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Medvedev – 20/16
Ruud – 16/26

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS 

Medvedev – 3/2
Ruud – 1/3

BREAK POINTS WON 

Medvedev – 3/9
Ruud – 0/0

Novak Djokovic fell at the semi-final stage of the ATP Finals for a second year in succession as he was defeated by Alexander Zverev on Saturday.

World number one Djokovic was hoping to reach the final of the season-ending tournament for the eighth time but came up against Zverev in exceptional form, the third seed winning 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-3.

Neither player managed to get a break point until the 10th game, such was the quality of serving, and it was Zverev who was put under pressure. He responded well, though, with an exceptional serve before saving himself and denying Djokovic a one-set lead.

Zverev then wasted two break points of his own in the next game, the set ultimately going to a tie-break, and the match’s first double fault from Djokovic handed the advantage to his opponent, who came out on top in a lengthy rally and then saw a blistering serve give him the set.

Djokovic initially looked rattled and frustrated at the start of the second set, yet a bad miss from Zverev let him off the hook as the five-time champion avoided suffering an early break.

Zverev took just 58 seconds to win the fifth game and go 3-2 up and his next service game was also won to love, but Djokovic finally got the elusive first break to make it 5-4 before converting his fifth set point.

Djokovic could not take that momentum into the decider and, although it went with serve for the first three games, a sloppy showing in game four allowed Zverev to pounce for his first break of the match.

He survived a brief wobble and a break point before eventually closing out a wonderful victory, serving to love again as he set up a final clash with the defending champion Daniil Medvedev.

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Djokovic – 27/29
Zverev – 35/24

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS 

Djokovic – 15/1
Zverev – 14/1

BREAK POINTS WON 

Djokovic – 1/4
Zverev – 1/4