"First of all, it is important to stress one very important thing: I have never said or written about anyone raping me," Peng said in an interview with Singaporean newspaper Lianhe Zaobao.
When talking about the sexual assault accusations, which she deleted from her account on the Weibo social media platform, she said it was her "personal business," noting that there was a misunderstanding. The tennis player added that she lived in Beijing without being watched and was not planning on traveling abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In November, 35-year-old Peng posted a statement on Weibo, accusing 75-year-old Zhang Gaoli, a former Chinese vice-premier, of sexually assaulting her. The post was immediately deleted, while Peng`s accounts were also removed from the Chinese social networks. After making the allegation, the tennis player was not seen in public for some time, fueling questions regarding her whereabouts.