WTA still concerned despite Peng denials

The Women's Tennis Association says its concerns over Peng Shuai have not been alleviated by an interview with L'Equipe.

In the French newspaper's article, Peng described reports she accused a high-ranking Chinese official of sexual assault as a "huge misunderstanding" as she repeated her denial the alleged incident took place.

The former doubles world No.1 wrote in a social media post in November that she was forced to have sex with former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli. Her post was swiftly deleted and her subsequent silence raised fears over her safety.

The L'Equipe interview, during which she was accompanied by Chinese Olympic Committee chief of staff Wang Kan who translated her responses, was published on Monday.

At the same time, a statement was released by the International Olympic Committee confirming Peng had dinner on Saturday with its president Thomas Bach and the former chair of the IOC Athletes' Commission, Kirsty Coventry.

WTA chairman and chief executive Steve Simon said in a statement released on Monday evening: "It's always good to see Peng Shuai, whether in an interview or attending the Olympic Games.

"However, her recent in-person interview does not alleviate any of our concerns about her initial post from November 2.

"To reiterate our view, Peng took a bold step in publicly coming forth with the accusation that she was sexually assaulted by a senior Chinese government leader.

"As we would do with any of our players globally, we have called for a formal investigation into the allegations by the appropriate authorities and an opportunity for the WTA to meet with Peng - privately - to discuss her situation.

"We continue to hold firm on our position and our thoughts remain with Peng Shuai."

Peng said in the