Garcia Latest Player to Support WTA's Resumption in China
Caroline Garcia has supported the WTA's decision to resume competitions in China after the organisation boycotted tournaments in the country for 16 months.
On Thursday, the WTA announced that it would start up tennis competitions in China in the autumn of 2023. The organisation had banned events in China following Peng Shuai's disappearance after she brought about allegations of sexual assault against Chinese political members.
While the move is controversial by the WTA, some players have supported the return of competition to China. World number five Garcia is one of the latest players to back the resumption of tournaments in the nation and, when speaking to the BBC, she said the profile of some competitions in the country justifies the return.
"The ATP and the ITF was already going back, and women’s tennis is following. In the past we have had some huge tournaments over there and I think it is an important swing for us in our calendar and I’m looking forward to it.”
Garcia joined other figures in women's tennis in supporting the WTA's decision. Former British player and captain of the UK Billie Jean Cup team, Anne Keothavong, also said competitions need to return to China for the benefit of players and the WTA.
"From a tennis perspective, hopefully, it will be a welcome return, I don’t know whether they have been able to investigate in the way that they would have liked, but tennis is a business. The WTA need to generate commercial revenue and the players need a circuit to compete.”
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