Asserts Himself Never Disappear, Peng Shuai: There's No Way I'm Answering So Many Messages

JAKARTA - Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai said he had met International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach during the ongoing Beijing Winter Olympics.

"We had dinner together on Saturday, and we had a pleasant discussion," said Peng, who also announced his retirement from the sport, in an interview with sports daily L'Equipe published Monday.

"He asked me if I was considering competing again, what was my project, what did I plan to do and so on," continued Peng, who was accompanied by China's Olympic Committee Chief of Staff Wang Kan, told two L'Equipe reporters in an interview at a hotel in the bubble. Olympic.

Peng also confirmed that he never "disappeared."

In early November, Peng mentioned that China's former vice premier Zhang Gaoli forced him to have sexual relations for years.

After the allegations were quickly removed from Chinese social media, Peng was not heard from for nearly three weeks, sparking widespread concern about the former Grand Slam doubles champion until he held a video conference with Bach on November 21.

After that, Peng appeared in videos showing him attending a sporting event, but that didn't dampen his fears of freedom.

"I've never disappeared. It's just that a lot of people, like my friends or people from the IOC text me, and it's impossible to answer so many messages," Peng said.

"But I'm always in close contact with my close friends. I talk to them, I answer their emails, I also talk to the WTA," he concluded.