Tennis star Peng Shuai denies saying she was sexually assaulted

Peng Shuai (AP)

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai has denied saying she was sexually assaulted, despite a social media post from last month in which she appeared to make the accusation against a former top Communist Party official.

The Lianhe Zaobao Chinese-language newspaper posted video of Peng taken on Sunday in Shanghai in which she said she has been mainly staying at home in Beijing, but was free to come and go as she chose.