TENNIS: Sabalenka says women facing transgender athletes not fair

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has weighed in on the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports, saying it would be unfair for women to compete against “biological men” in professional tennis.

The WTA Tour Gender Participation Policy allows transgender women to participate if they have declared their gender as female for at least four years, maintain lowered testosterone levels, and agree to testing procedures. These requirements may also be adjusted by the WTA Medical Manager on a case-by-case basis.

In an interview with Piers Morgan released Tuesday, four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka said, “That’s a tricky question. I have nothing against them. But I feel like they still have a huge advantage over women, and I think it’s not fair on women to face basically biological men.” The Belarusian was speaking ahead of her upcoming “battle of the sexes” match against Nick Kyrgios on December 28.

Sabalenka added, “It’s not fair. The woman has been working her whole life to reach her limit, and then she has to face a man who is biologically much stronger. For me, I don’t agree with this kind of stuff in sport.”

Former Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios expressed agreement, saying, “I think she hit the nail on the head.”

In recent years, no transgender players have competed on the professional tennis circuit. Historically, Renee Richards played on the women’s professional tour from 1977 to 1981 before coaching tennis legend and gay rights advocate Martina Navratilova. Navratilova, an 18-time Grand Slam singles champion, has been a vocal critic of allowing transgender athletes in women’s sports.

Others, like Billie Jean King—the 12-time Grand Slam singles champion who famously won the original “battle of the sexes” in 1973—view exclusion of transgender athletes as discriminatory.

In 2024, Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association updated its rules to prevent transgender women from competing in national and inter-club female competitions. Over the past two years, several sports federations have launched studies or revised rules to bar anyone who has gone through male puberty from competing at elite levels in the female category.

Transgender advocacy groups argue that excluding trans athletes amounts to discrimination, while critics say male puberty provides a significant musculoskeletal advantage that gender transition does not eliminate. -Aadi Nair/Reuters