WTA implements mandatory genetic screening for players
From Tuesday, every player seeking to compete on the Women’s Tennis Association tour must undergo a mandatory genetic screening for the SRY gene, a marker found on the Y chromosome that triggers the development of male biological characteristics, reports BritPanorama.
The governing body announced the updated eligibility framework on Sunday, marking a significant departure from its previous approach. Under the former rules, last revised in 2024, transgender women were permitted to participate provided they had declared their gender as female and maintained testosterone levels below 2.5 nmol/L for a continuous period of two years.
The revised policy instead anchors eligibility squarely on biological sex. The test itself may be administered through a cheek swab, blood draw, or saliva sample, and must only be completed once in a player’s lifetime. Only those returning a negative result—confirming no presence of the SRY gene—will be cleared to compete. A positive finding triggers additional medical evaluation before any participation is permitted.
Players must also sign documentation acknowledging that declining to be tested could result in disciplinary proceedings. “Eligibility to participate in WTA tournaments will be confirmed through a required, one-time screening process for the SRY gene,” a WTA spokesperson told Reuters.
The organisation added: “The WTA recognises 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 WTA’s original eligibility framework dates back to 1975, and the sport has grappled with the question before. Renee Richards, a transgender woman, played on the professional women’s circuit between 1977 and 1981, later serving as a coach to Martina Navratilova. Navratilova, a winner of 18 Grand Slam singles titles and a pioneering figure in gay rights, has nonetheless been a vocal opponent of transgender athletes competing in women’s events. Current world number one Aryna Sabalenka expressed similar sentiments last year, deeming such participation unfair.
Billie Jean King, the 12-time Grand Slam singles champion, has taken the opposing view, regarding the exclusion of transgender athletes as discriminatory. Presently, no transgender women are known to be active at any tier of professional tennis.
The WTA’s shift mirrors a broader movement across elite sport. World Athletics introduced comparable gene-testing regulations that took effect in September 2025, whilst World Boxing approved mandatory SRY screening for all female-category competitors in May of the same year. The International Olympic Committee followed suit in March, ruling that only biological females verified through a one-time test would be eligible for women’s events at the Games.
Transgender advocacy organisations maintain that such policies constitute discrimination. Supporters of the measures counter that male puberty confers lasting musculoskeletal advantages that medical transition does not adequately reverse.
As this topic continues to spark debate within and outside the realm of sport, it serves as a reminder of the complexities and sensitivities surrounding gender identity in competitive environments, where principles of fairness and inclusion often find themselves at odds.
