Rosie DiManno is an award-winning sports journalist and biographer based in Beijing
From winning doubles gold with Serena Williams to winning singles silver with Maria Sharapova at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Rosie DiManno has taken us through the highs and lows of Pia and Peng Shuai. She was also right there for the zenith of their partnership in Beijing in 2008 when they notched up a golden pair of doubles gold.
Peng, a legendary doubles player herself, has spoken to the media about her short detention, which happened in August, for allegedly holding a red velvet napkin against the window of her Beijing hotel room while eating her breakfast. “I don’t think I deserved it, but we can’t change history. I have a happy family. I believe there’s no need to be angry or fussy. I would like to move on,” she said.
Since her arrest, she has not been seen in public, and Zhao Jing-Ting, the deputy spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, was asked about her last week, and said: “In accordance with international norms, she is entitled to the right to freedom of movement and is free to leave.”