Women’s professional tennis players will now be required to pass a one-time genetic screening test before they can compete on the tour, the Women’s Tennis Association announced following a policy update on Sunday.
The test screens for the SRY gene, which is used to help determine biological sex. Players can complete the screening through either a cheek swab or a blood test. The updated policy officially takes effect on Tuesday.
Under the previous WTA policy, transgender women were allowed to compete if they identified as female and maintained a reduced testosterone level for at least two years prior to playing in tournaments.
At this time, there are no known transgender women competing at any level of professional tennis.
A WTA spokesperson explained the new policy to Reuters: “Eligibility to participate in WTA tournaments will be confirmed through a required, one-time screening process for the SRY gene.”
The spokesperson added that actual player screenings won’t begin until 2026 and will be carried out “following all appropriate confidentiality and data privacy safeguards and concurrent with a comprehensive player engagement program.”
“The WTA recognizes that this is a sensitive and complex issue and is committed to treating all players with dignity and implementing the policy in a respectful and thoughtful way,” the spokesperson said.
The debate over transgender athletes in women’s sports has long been present in tennis. Transgender player Renee Richards competed on the women’s professional tour from 1977 to 1981 and later coached tennis legend and gay rights advocate Martina Navratilova.
Navratilova, who has won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, has been a vocal opponent of allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports. Current world number one Aryna Sabalenka echoed similar sentiments last year, saying she believed it would be unfair for women to compete against transgender players.
On the other side of the debate, Billie Jean King — a 12-time Grand Slam singles champion best known for winning the original “battle of the sexes” match in 1973 — has argued that barring transgender athletes from competition is a form of discrimination.
The WTA is not alone in adopting this type of policy. Several other sports governing bodies, including World Athletics and World Boxing, have introduced comparable gene-based eligibility tests in recent years.
This past March, the International Olympic Committee also announced that only biological female athletes whose gender has been confirmed through a one-time test would be eligible to compete in female category events at the Olympic Games.
Advocacy groups supporting transgender athletes contend that such policies amount to discrimination, while critics of transgender inclusion argue that undergoing male puberty provides physical advantages that transitioning does not eliminate.
