Media365
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has questioned the fairness of the current rules that allow transgender women to compete on the WTA Tour, saying she believes the system gives them a physical edge over cisgender female athletes. The Belarusian star shared her views during an appearance on Piers Morgan’s show on Tuesday evening, where she was asked whether she agreed with Martina Navratilova’s long-held opposition to transgender participation in women’s tennis. Sabalenka described the issue as difficult to navigate but made her stance clear. She said she held no personal objection to transgender women but felt that those who were born male retain physical advantages even after transitioning. In her view, this makes competition unfair for players who have trained their entire lives to reach the top of the women’s game. She argued that facing an athlete who is “biologically much stronger” creates an uneven playing field and said she disagreed with such match-ups in professional sport. Sabalenka is set to appear in Dubai at the end of December for an exhibition match dubbed ‘The Battle of the Sexes’, where she will play Nick Kyrgios. Under WTA regulations, transgender women may compete if they meet specific conditions. Their testosterone levels must remain below 2.5 nanomoles per litre for at least two years, and they must submit a signed declaration confirming their female or non-binary gender identity. Despite the rules permitting participation, there are currently no transgender women competing at the top tier of the WTA circuit. Historically, one of the few transgender women to play at an elite level was American Renee Richards. Born Richard Raskind in 1934, Richards competed in the US Open men’s draw during the 1950s before transitioning and joining the women’s tour in the late 1970s and early 1980s. After ending her playing career in 1981, she went on to coach Martina Navratilova.
