Fans fuming over WTA's return to China in 2023
WTA
Tennis fans were left very unhappy after the WTA announced that tournaments would return to China in 2023.
At the end of the 2021 season, all tournaments in China were suspended after the sudden disappearance of former doubles WTA World No. 1 player Peng Shuai.
Although there have been multiple attempts by multiple parties to prove that Shuai Peng was safe since then, the situation still remains very controversial and uncertain.
As a result, during the 2022 season, there were no tournaments held in China, and even the WTA Finals, which were previously held in Shenzhen, China, were moved to a different location.
The WTA announced the venue for the 2022 WTA Finals recently. The year-end tournament should be held at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States.
However, in their announcement, the WTA representatives also mentioned that in 2023, the tournament should once again return to Shenzhen in China.
"The year-end finale, featuring the Top 8 singles players and doubles teams in the Race to the WTA Finals, will be held at the state-of-the-art Dickies Arena, with the event thereafter due to return to Shenzhen, China, in cooperation with long-term partner Gemdale."
Reputable journalist Jon Wertheim posted the statement on his Twitter account, asking the WTA "what changed" since they suspended the events in China.
Many of the fans were similarly stunned by the development. Some called out the WTA for hiding the announcement in the middle of a statement about the WTA Finals moving to Fort Worth, while others wondered how players could return to China again after such a high-profile scandal.
One fan wrote: "The WTA Finals going back to China??? WTA, more like WTF… Burying this in the middle of a major in a press release about Fort Worth?"
Another fan was similarly surprised: "Umm what?? How can you put your players back in that country after so much happened especially the way they didn't even bother to reply to WTA about the situation."
