The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has announced a significant change to its eligibility rules, requiring all athletes competing in women’s tournaments to complete a one-time genetic screening for the SRY gene, a marker commonly associated with the Y chromosome. The new policy takes effect this week and aligns professional tennis with a growing trend among international sports organizations adopting stricter eligibility standards for women’s competition.
Under the updated rules, players must undergo a single screening through either a cheek swab or blood test. According to the WTA, athletes who test negative for the SRY gene will satisfy the organization’s eligibility requirements for women’s competition. The association said the testing process will include confidentiality protections and a comprehensive player education program to explain the changes.
The policy replaces the WTA’s previous guidelines, which allowed transgender women to compete if they declared a female gender identity and maintained testosterone levels below specified limits for at least two years before competition. The organization stated there are currently no known transgender women actively competing at any level of professional tennis.
Part of a Broader Shift in International Sports
The WTA’s announcement follows similar moves by several major governing bodies. Earlier this year, the International Olympic Committee introduced a policy requiring one-time SRY gene testing for athletes seeking to compete in women’s events beginning with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. World Athletics and other international federations have also adopted or announced comparable genetic screening requirements in recent months.
Supporters of the policy argue that biological sex verification creates a consistent standard designed to preserve competitive fairness in women’s sports. Critics, however, contend that mandatory genetic testing risks excluding some women with naturally occurring differences in sex development (DSDs) while further limiting opportunities for transgender athletes. Some medical experts have also questioned whether the presence of the SRY gene alone can accurately determine eligibility in every case because rare genetic conditions can complicate biological sex development.
Debate Likely to Continue
The WTA emphasized that its policy is intended to balance fairness with respect for athlete privacy and dignity. Still, the announcement is expected to intensify the ongoing global debate over transgender participation and sex verification in elite sports.
For transgender athletes, the change effectively closes one of the remaining pathways into women’s professional tennis. While there are no openly transgender women currently competing on the WTA Tour, the revised policy signals that professional tennis is following the broader international movement toward genetic eligibility standards rather than hormone-based criteria.
