Qinwen Zheng responds to the "Where is Peng Shuai?" question during Australian Open 2023 practice session

Chinese No. 1 Qinwen Zheng recently reacted to questions about fellow Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai's ongoing controversy, neutrally suggesting that she does not know Shuai's whereabouts.

Asked about the same midway through a practice session on one of the outside courts at the Australian Open, Zheng chose not to entertain the topic any further.

Shuai has not been publicly seen, even in China, since her brief appearance at the Winter Olympics in Beijing last February. "Where is Peng Shuai?" continues to be a big question as there is still no clarity on her safety and whereabouts.

After Zheng's recent practice session at Melbourne Park, a member of Australian human rights activist Drew Pavlou's team posed the same question to the 20-year-old. Zheng simply replied by saying she had no idea and entertained no further questions on the same.

"WOW. Our team met the biggest young Chinese tennis star Qinwen Zheng at the Australian Open practice courts and asked her 'Where Is Peng Shuai?' in Mandarin and she went quiet and replied back in Mandarin 'I don’t know'," Pavlou wrote on Twitter.

The person asked the same question to another Chinese player, World No. 87 Zhu Lin, after her practice session, and got the same response.

Back in November 2021, Peng Shuai made allegations of sexual assault against a top Chinese official, after which she disappeared for a while. She later appeared briefly in China, withdrew the allegations and retired from tennis, all in the span of a few months.

Very little has been known about her whereabouts ever since.

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WTA continues to demand clarity on Peng Shuai situation, retains ban on China from hosting events until resolution

Peng Shuai's safety continues to be a concern.

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) recently reiterated their stance on the Peng Shuai controversy. The organization continued to demand clear information regarding her safety before they can resume tournaments in China.

The WTA said that while they have received word that Shuai is safe and comfortable, they have still not had the opportunity to meet with her. They demanded a private meeting with Shuai and called for a formal investigation into the matter.

"There has not been any change in the WTA position on a return to China and we have only confirmed our 2023 calendar through US Open," the WTA said in a statement.

"A return to the region will require a resolution to the Peng situation in which she took a bold step in publicly coming forth with the accusation that she was sexually assaulted by a senior Chinese government leader."

The statement further read:

"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."

Before the start of the 2023 Australian Open, protesters and activists, led by Drew Pavlou, announced that they would fight for clarity on the Shuai situation. They added that they would protest on the grounds of the Australian Open.

It's worth noting that protesters were also asked to remove t-shirts with the slogan "Where is Peng Shuai?" at last year's edition of the Melbourne Slam.