The Women's Tennis Association started screening all players for the SRY gene today, July 21. The SRY gene sits on the Y chromosome and triggers male sex development. The WTA is using the gene's presence as its new eligibility line. Players take a one-time cheek swab or blood test: a negative result clears them immediately, a positive triggers additional medical review. The policy replaces the WTA's 2024 system, which let trans women compete after two years of testosterone reduction, though no trans women are currently known to compete professionally in women's tennis.

1. The WTA Says This Protects Fair Competition (WTA, Martina Navratilova, Aryna Sabalenka)

Male puberty creates lasting physical advantages — ones the 2024 testosterone pathway never fully addressed.

Genetic testing is more objective than hormone monitoring. The old system required ongoing testing and relied on hormone thresholds that researchers dispute. A one-time SRY test is binary and stable: you carry the gene or you don't, and the answer doesn't change. The WTA consulted its members before implementing the policy. The organization says the rule "promote[s] equal athletic opportunities in women's professional tennis." World Athletics and World Boxing already require SRY testing.

The support inside tennis is real and named. Martina Navratilova, the 18-time Grand Slam champion, called it "a step in the right direction" when the WTA announced the policy this week. She also said she's "very happy that we at the WTA are clear that we are a women's association and only women, as in females, can compete at the highest level of women's tennis." Aryna Sabalenka, the current WTA World No. 1, has said it would be "unfair" for women to face transgender players.

2. But Critics Say the Policy Targets a Group That Isn't There (Billie Jean King, Democratic Women's Caucus, LGBTQ Nation)

Zero trans women play professional women's tennis — so critics say this policy is preemptive politics, not a sporting fix.

No trans women play on the WTA Tour. Every source confirms it. The only historical example is former professional player Renée Richards, who competed from 1977 to 1981 after winning a New York Supreme Court case. The WTA itself acknowledged there are "currently no known transgender players on the circuit." Critics argue the policy follows political pressure — President Trump's executive order and a March 2026 IOC decision — rather than any real competitive problem.

The privacy exposure affects more than trans athletes. Players who test SRY-positive must sign documents that warn their ineligibility "may lead to the reason for my ineligibility becoming public knowledge or being the subject of public speculation." Intersex athletes — people who may carry an SRY variant without ever having gone through male puberty — can also test positive. The WTA moved its legal jurisdiction from New York to Florida with the new policy.

The WTA's own founder disagrees. Billie Jean King, who founded the WTA in 1973 to expand opportunity for women in sports, has consistently said there's no place in sports for discrimination and has publicly supported trans athletes' right to compete. The Democratic Women's Caucus also criticized the policy.

Where This Lands

The WTA's supporters say the SRY test settles a long-ambiguous eligibility question with a single, stable biological marker. Navratilova, Sabalenka, and the WTA itself are all aligned on it. Critics say the policy bans a category of athlete with no current members, exposes every player to a privacy risk, and tracks a Trump executive order. They call it culture war, not a real sporting fix. The test starts today; the legal and political challenges are likely to follow.

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