Daily US Times: Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka has become the latest athlete to voice concerns over the whereabouts of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai.
Ms Peng is one of China’s biggest sporting stars and she has not been heard from since she made sexual assault allegations against a top Chinese official.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) said it had confirmed that she is “safe and not under any physical threat”.
However, WTA was not able to directly reach her.
Using the hashtag #WhereisPengShuai, Ms Osaka tweeted: “I was recently informed of a fellow tennis player that has gone missing shortly after revealing that she has been sexually abused. I hope Peng Shuai and her family are safe and ok. I’m in shock of the current situation and I’m sending love and light her way.”
Osaka’s comments came as a number of tennis players have spoken up about Ms Peng, who is a former number one ranked tennis doubles player.
World number one tennis player Novak Djokovic said earlier this week that he hoped she would okay, adding that he was shocked.
French player Nicholas Mahut also weighed in, saying “we are all concerned”.
In November, Ms Peng had posted about the alleged assault against Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli on the Chinese social media site Weibo in November.
She said in the post that she was “forced” into a sexual relationship with Mr Zhang.
Mr Zhang, 75, served as China’s Vice Premier between 2013 and 2018 and was a close ally of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Mr Zhang has not responded to her claims.
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