Peng Shuai
Peng Shuai (Chinese: 彭帅; pinyin: Péng Shuài; Mandarin pronunciation: [pʰə̌ŋ ʂwâɪ] ⓘ; born 8 January 1986) is a Chinese former professional tennis player. In February 2014, she was ranked as the world No. 1 doubles player by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), becoming the first Chinese tennis player to achieve that ranking in any discipline. She peaked at world No. 14 of the singles rankings in August 2011, and won two singles and 23 doubles titles on the WTA Tour.
Peng at the 2019 Wimbledon Qualifying | |
| Country (sports) | China |
|---|---|
| Residence | Tianjin and Beijing, China |
| Born | 8 January 1986 Xiangtan, Hunan, China |
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Turned pro | 2001 |
| Retired | 2022 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed both sides) |
| Coach | Carlos Rodríguez |
| Prize money | US$ 9,617,653 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 497–323 (60.6%) |
| Career titles | 2 |
| Highest ranking | No. 14 (22 August 2011) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 4R (2011, 2015) |
| French Open | 3R (2011, 2012) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (2011, 2012, 2014) |
| US Open | SF (2014) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 341–203 (62.7%) |
| Career titles | 23 |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (17 February 2014) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | F (2017) |
| French Open | W (2014) |
| Wimbledon | W (2013) |
| US Open | SF (2017) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | W (2013) |
| Team competitions | |
| Fed Cup | 17–9 (65.4%) |
| Peng Shuai | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 彭帥 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 彭帅 | ||||||||
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Peng won a gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games, defeating Akgul Amanmuradova in the singles final. At the 2013 Wimbledon Championships, Peng won her first major title, in women's doubles with Hsieh Su-wei. She also won the women's doubles title at the 2014 French Open with Hsieh. Her best performance at a major in singles came at the 2014 US Open where she reached the semifinals, becoming the third Chinese tennis player in history to reach a major semifinal after Zheng Jie and Li Na.
Peng was known for playing with two hands on both sides and hitting very flat. She defeated many top-10 and top-5 players, including Kim Clijsters, Martina Hingis, Amélie Mauresmo, Anastasia Myskina, Elena Dementieva, Francesca Schiavone, Jelena Janković, Agnieszka Radwańska, Marion Bartoli, and Vera Zvonareva.
In November 2021, in what was suspected to be a forced disappearance, Peng disappeared from public after making a post on Weibo. It detailed an affair involving Zhang Gaoli, a retired Chinese Vice Premier, who reportedly forced her to have sex with him. The news became widely censored in China. International concerns for Peng grew, and the WTA suspended all its events in the country. Peng has made some limited public appearances since the incident and announced her retirement from professional tennis. Although unsatisfied with the case, the WTA announced that it would return to China in 2023.