Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai has denied that she was sexually assaulted by a Chinese party leader official - but failed to explain why the claim was originally made.
In her first interview with Western media - timed for the start of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics - Ms Peng spoke to French newspaper L'Equipe. She sparked global concern last year when she disappeared from public view for a few weeks after posting online.
Tennis fans around the world held signs at tournaments in support of her - some asking the question 'Where is Peng Shuai?'
But she said that she was living a normal life. In the interview on Sunday, Ms Peng was thankful for the fans' concern.
She also praised the tennis players who mounted the #WhereIsPengShuai campaign. But she said: "I didn't think there would be such concern and I would like to know: why such concern? I never said anyone sexually assaulted me."
The 36-year-old said she never "disappeared", but had been contacted by so many people after her social media post that it was "impossible" for her to reply to everyone.
She added that she had chosen to delete the post soon after publication. "This post has given rise to a huge misunderstanding from the outside world. I hope that the meaning of this post will no longer be distorted. And I also hope that we don't add more hype to this."
She now intends to retire from tennis. The original note on the Chinese social media platform Weibo accused former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli of forcing her to have sex with him. The 1,600-word note, addressed to Mr Zhang, claimed they had had a romantic relationship and that he had also coerced her into having sex. Zhang has not responded to the allegation.
"Why did you come back and seek me out, take me to your home, and force me to have sex with you," read one line.
The post was swiftly scrubbed from Weibo, but not before it went viral. Ms Peng then vanished from public life for weeks, sparking global concern for her safety.
A #WhereIsPengShuai campaign was launched, fuelled by calls from other tennis stars including Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic.
The Women's Tennis Association has spearheaded calls for an investigation into her initial claims. However the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was one of the first authorities to vouch for Ms Peng's welfare with President Thomas Bach holding a video meeting with her a few weeks after her post.
On Saturday, she also met the IOC president in a face-to-face dinner at the Olympic Club in Beijing. The IOC said Ms Peng had later attended some Winter Games events, and confirmed the meeting with Bach which took place in Beijing at the weekend.
