NO ONE HAD TENNIS PLAYERS IN THE POOL...:

Nothing in Steve Simon's career as a tennis promoter prepared him for the crisis he is suddenly faced with this month: a player's disappearance that has forced his organization, the Women's Tennis Association, into a standoff with the Chinese government.

But the string of events since a post on the social media account of a Chinese player named Peng Shuai accused one the country's most senior retired officials of sexual assault has placed Simon, the head of the WTA, in an unexpected role. He is the rare sports executive willing to quit one of the most lucrative foreign markets on the planet. 

Simon has accused China of lying to him about Peng's safety amid mounting international outrage, and he has indicated that he understands the stakes.

"We're at a crossroads with our relationship, obviously, with China," Simon said in a televised interview with CNN on Thursday. "We're definitely willing to pull our business, and deal with all the complications that come with it, because this is bigger than the business."

Tweet   @brothersjudd