Woman’s world tennis No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, said on Tuesday that she considers it unfair that the women’s professional tennis tour allows transgender women to compete in WTA tournaments, even though they remain absent from the elite of world tennis.
During her appearance on British host Piers Morgan’s show on Tuesday evening, Morgan asked the Belarusian whether she shared the opinion of former world No. 1 Martina Navratilova, who opposes transgender women participating in WTA tournaments.
“That’s a tricky question,” Sabalenka responded.
“I have nothing against them, but I believe they still possess a huge advantage over women who have not undergone gender transition.
“I think it’s simply unfair for a woman to face biological men. It’s not fair,” added Sabalenka, who will take on Nick Kyrgios in an exhibition match dubbed ‘The Battle of the Sexes’ in Dubai at the end of December.
“A woman has worked her whole life to reach her limit, and then she must face someone who is biologically much stronger. So I don’t agree with this sort of thing in sport,” she continued.
The WTA permits transgender women to participate in tournaments under certain conditions, one of which requires that their blood testosterone concentration has remained below 2.5 nanomoles per litre for the past two years.
Participants must also submit to the WTA a signed declaration attesting to their female or non-binary gender identity.
In practice, no transgender woman currently plays a leading role on the WTA tour.
American Renee Richards, born Richard Raskind in 1934, ranks amongst the few transgender tennis players who have competed at the highest level.
After playing the US Open several times in the men’s draw during the 1950s, she embarked on a second career on the women’s tour from the late 1970s into the early part of the following decade.
After retiring from competition in 1981, Richards went on to coach Martina Navratilova.
