Chinese tennis star denies making sexual assault claim against former Communist Party official

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai denied on Sunday that she ever accused former Chinese vice premier Zhang Gaoli of rape, Reuters reported. 

Peng, a former doubles champion, has made few public appearances since writing a now-deleted social media post accusing the former Chinese official of forcing her to have sex with him despite repeated refusals following a round of tennis. 

But in a video posted over the weekend, Peng maintained that she has never made accusations of sexual assault against anyone and that the social media post – which rocked the global sports world – was a misunderstanding.

"First, I need to stress one point that is extremely important, I have never said or written that anyone has sexually assaulted me, I have to clearly stress this point," Peng said in the video which was posted by Singapore media outlet Lianhe Zaobao. 

Peng also said that her now-deleted Weibo post detailing her accusation was a “private matter,” adding that “people have many misunderstandings” about her initial post.

In the video, Peng also referred to a letter that she wrote to Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Chairman and CEO Steve Simon in which she claims to have denied the previous allegations.

In a statement, however, Simon said he "had a hard time believing" Peng wrote the letter. In response to the scandal, the WTA suspended its tournaments in China earlier this month pending an investigation.