Nadal, Rapinoe, Peng Shuai: Which athletes are named in TIME’s top 100?

Rafael Nadal, Peng Shuai and Megan Rapinoe are among a number of sportspeople named in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. 

The list has been published since 1999 and is now a highly publicised annual event. Entrants from the world of entertainment, politics, sports, business and other fields are all recognised. 

In total there are eight athletes featured this year, across multiple categories. Here’s a rundown of how some of these names came to be included. 

Last November, tennis player Peng posted on the Chinese social media website Weibo regarding how China’s former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli forced her to have sex with him. 

Peng subsequently disappeared from the public eye, leading to widespread concerns over her safety and a US diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. 

The 36-year-old re-appeared two weeks later in state media, but many believe her appearances were staged in response to foreign inquiries. 

Writing on the Time website, feminist activist and writer Lü Pin said: “Peng undoubtedly was aware from the start of the dangers inherent in speaking out.

“In the now deleted post, she described her actions as a moth to a flame, an egg to a stone, and a self-­destruction. Her account has catapulted an unprecedented defence of women’s rights against authoritarian power.”

US Women’s National Team stars Alex Morgan, Becky Sauerbrunn and Rapinoe all made significant contributions in the fight for equality in women’s football. 

After a six-year legal battle, they secured a £24 million settlement and the acknowledgement of discrimination. 

And last week the USWNT and US Soccer agreed to a deal that achieves “equal pay and sets the global standard moving forward in