WTA mandates genetic testing for all future competitions

The Women's Tennis Association now requires players to undergo genetic sex testing to maintain their eligibility, becoming the latest sports organization to do so after the International Olympic Committee introduced a similar mandate earlier this year.

The WTA's new policy goes into effect Tuesday, July 21. The WTA did not announce the change in a press release and instead quietly posted the updated policy on its website on July 19 after the tennis Substack Bounces reported the rule change.

Tennis players must undergo a one-time SRY gene test via blood sample or cheek swab, which the WTA pays for, according to the WTA policy. If a player tests positive, they will be ineligible to compete unless they can prove to the satisfaction of the WTA medical personnel that they have Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome or another developmental sex disorder.

The policy applies to all WTA Tour events, which includes the four prestigious Grand Slam tournaments.

"The purpose of this policy is to preserve the integrity of women’s professional tennis and maintainfair competition conditions for all players participating in WTA Tournaments," the policy says. "There is no intent to disrespect or question the gender identity or the dignity of any person."

In March, the IOC reversed decades of inclusion and implemented a mandatory SRY gene test for athletes wanting to compete in the women's category. The policy was criticized by medical experts as well as transgender and intersex athletes who warned it would harm all women.

World Boxing and World Athletics, the international governing body for track and field, introduced similar policies in 2025. The WTA, though not affiliated with the Olympic movement, is the latest to follow suit.

World Tennis (formerly the International Tennis Federation), the sport's international governing body, last updated its gender eligibility policy in January 2025 and allows "biological males with a female or non-binary gender identity" to compete provided their testosterone levels do not exceed a specific threshold. That was formerly how the WTA operated, too, until this week's change.

The WTA did not publicly disclose the reasoning for the change or say whether it consulted medical professionals or athletes while creating the updated policy.

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