WTA: The Peng Shuai case - this video still leaves everyone puzzled
The video, which was distributed this morning (CEST) via Twitter, shows the Chinese dual specialist Peng Shuai in conversation with a journalist from Singapore - but it doesn't seem authentic and natural.
by Stefan Bergmann
last edit:
Dec 20, 2021, 06:40 pm
The allegations of abuse are dismissed as a “purely private matter”, misunderstandings that have arisen due to poor translations - it is not easy to believe the bizarre attempts at explanation, even if one would like to. Peng Shuai can be seen again in a video - this time recorded by a journalist from Singapore, who also had the work spread via social media. And neither the statements made by the Chinese double specialist nor the overall impression of the production let you put the topic aside in a relaxed manner.
We reported earlier this morning what the 35-year-old put on record during the conversation. If you want to let the associated moving images work on you, you can do so using the tweet shown below. Not only the German tennis entertainer Dustin Brown doesn't trust the roast, comments on the five-minute film as follows: “It can't just be because of me, it definitely doesn't look very free or relaxed. # This is very disturbing to watch "
There is not much to add to the words of "Dreddy". The conveyed content as well as gestures, facial expressions and the reactions of the Chinese appear artificial, confused, unnatural and anything but free. The mere fact that the WTA has completely withdrawn from the Chinese market does not make such a "relaxed" attitude of Shuai appear credible. During the interview she posed the counter-question: “I will not travel overseas just to prove something. What should I do over there anyway? "
Statements meaningless in the overall context
For example, it would make sense if only to show her colleagues that she is doing well. Quite a few of her international companions are very worried about her. Or just to convince the WTA that business relations with the People's Republic of China can be resumed, since everything was really just a big misunderstanding. The reactions of the two-time Grand Slam winner simply do not make sense in the overall context, but suggest that Peng Shuai is a fragile puppet in the game of the powerful and influential.
If you want to do it yourself, you can also read the English translation of Shuai's original post, which was the stumbling block on the Chinese social media platform "Weibo" for the scandal that has now been dragging on for a month and a half. In the end, there remains a picture of fear, doubt, depression and self-abandonment. Peng Shuai needs help - and that on several levels.