Steve Simon: Who is the WTA boss taking on China?

02 December 2021

The first words of the brief profile page about Steve Simon in his organisation’s media handbook are quite telling.

“From day one … an instigator of change”.

The chief executive of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has been widely praised for putting principles above pockets in suspending all of its tournaments in China amid concern for Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai.

And maybe no-one should be surprised – the 66-year-old American’s ethos has long been about ‘the right thing to do’, even if it has previously been in a much quieter way.

So, just who is the man taking on China because the case of Peng – who disappeared from public view for three weeks after accusing a top Chinese official of sexual assault – is “bigger than business”?

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