Tennis player Peng Shuai's prepared comeback at a tennis tournament in Beijing

• Chinese crisis Where is Peng Shuai?

  The disappearance of the tennis player who accused a former Chinese vice premier of rape

• Chinese crisis The censored letter from tennis player Peng Shuai about her relationship with the former deputy prime minister

• Chinese crisis New images of Peng Shuai sow confusion as international pressure grows to know his whereabouts

On Sunday morning, in the Haidian district, north of Beijing, a youth tennis tournament was being held at the National Tennis Center, a huge complex with 37 courts that was built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. One year Later it became the venue for the China Open, which was won in doubles in 2014 by Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, who was paired with Czech Andrea Hlavackova.

The names of the winners of the China Open are engraved on a mural in the esplanade at the entrance of the stadium, which is impossible to access to follow the youth tournament due to "anti-Covid measures."

This is what the security guards posted at the door say.

But the real interest for which a few photographers from international agencies were hanging around the stadium was because

around the world, Peng Shuai (35 years old), who had been missing for 19 days, since he accused Zhang Gaoli (75 years old), former Chinese vice premier, in a letter published on social networks, of having

.

The first to give notice of Peng's public reappearance have been several journalists from the

, a daily controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, which is published in English.

. But the content has not been disseminated on the media's website, but through the journalists' Twitter accounts, a social network that is censored in China and that requires the use of a VPN to bypass the Great Firewall.

One of the people who uploaded the video to his account was the editor-in-chief of the state newspaper, Hu Xijin, who last night

, saying that the images were taken on Saturday night, wanting to offer that material as proof that Peng is not under any form of duress.

Even if it was from China,

proved that Peng was really safe and well.

"It is not clear if he is free"

Responding to images from the restaurant, Steve Simon, president and CEO of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), said they were not enough to show that she was safe and free. "While it is positive to see her, it is not clear if she is free and capable of making decisions and acting on her own, without coercion or outside interference, said Simon.

. As I have said from the beginning, I remain concerned for Peng Shuai's health and safety and that the sexual assault charge is being censored and hidden under the rug. I have been clear about what needs to happen and

. "

Throughout this week, as the days went by, more and more voices inside and outside the world of tennis joined to show their

. From the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to the UN they have come out asking the Chinese authorities for transparency about Peng's situation. A few hours ago it was the UK Foreign Ministry who, in a statement, expressed "extreme concern" and

. "Everyone should be able to speak out without fear of repercussions. All reports of sexual assault, anywhere in the world, must be investigated," the statement requested.

The hashtag

as Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Novak Djokovic and the Spanish Paula Badosa.

The last to speak was Roger Federer on Saturday.

"She is one of our tennis champions, a former world number one. She is clearly worrying. I hope she is safe," said the Swiss.

At noon on Sunday, the organizers of the Beijing tennis tournament posted on their WeChat channel, the Chinese WhatsApp, more photographs and videos showing the tennis player, who came out signing balls to the children and taking group photos with them.

The trace of Peng Shuai continues to be erased from Chinese social networks such

as Weibo, where he published his letter pointing out the sexual assault by a man who has been one of the most powerful politicians in the country.

China has a long history of coercing and arresting women who have reported complaints like Peng's.

Although none of them had directly pointed to a former high-ranking government official.

That is why many do not believe the different scenes of his comeback, which seem prepared, and hope that Peng will be able to speak soon with the WTA or with the foreign press.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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