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Jessica Pegula said players got some education about the testing, including a video to watch.Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Jessica Pegula said she hasn’t heard any complaints from fellow players about the WTA’s decision to administer gender tests to its players.
The American World No. 3 is involved with the player’s council, so she’d be likely to hear any objections from her fellow players about the WTA’s recent announcement that competitors must undergo a one-time SRY gene screening to be eligible to compete on the women’s pro tennis tour.
“So far, at least from my point of view, I don’t really have any pushback on it … no players have really mentioned or said anything about it,” said Pegula at the National Bank Open in Toronto after winning her second-round match on Wednesday.
“Obviously now that we are here in Toronto, a bigger tournament, and going into Cincy when the testing starts, we’ll see if there’s any more feedback.”
The WTA announced on July 20 it had updated its women’s eligibility policy, in light of developments across international sport. It aligns women’s tennis with International Olympic Committee guidelines ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
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It remained unclear how many, if any, transgender women are competing at the Games level. The WTA is the first major women’s pro sports league to go in this direction. The test will be administered by cheek swab, blood sample and/or saliva sample.
The WTA is expected to use a phased approach in its testing. It will choose locations for screenings balancing things like player convenience and laboratory capabilities and availability.
Pegula said players got some education about the testing, including a video to watch.
“It wasn’t just kind of laid on us like, ‘You have to do this,’” said Pegula. “There was a lot of education.”
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Aryna Sabalenka has stated her support for gender testing within the WTA.Dan Hamilton/Reuters
Mandatory gender screening – already conducted by the governing bodies of track and field, skiing and boxing – has been criticized by some human rights experts and activist groups as transphobic.
“I think it’s really important to keep the fairness in our tour,” said World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka earlier this week in Toronto. “Obviously, biologically, the men are way stronger than women, so I feel like it would be not really fair for the woman to compete against a biological man.
“I believe it took them a little while to make this decision and, yeah, I support it. … if they want to test us all, I’m happy to do that, it’s pretty fair, and let’s keep it that way.”
Coco Gauff said it’s a complex topic that deserves a nuanced answer. The U.S. World No. 4 doesn’t like how political the topic has become, or that it creates animosity toward the transgender community.
“People who don’t really care, but just want to use this as a reason to attack the trans community. So I’m not really a big fan of that either,” said Gauff.
In a statement, the WTA said it “recognizes that this is a sensitive and complex issue and is committed to treating all players with dignity and implementing the policy in a respectful and thoughtful way.”
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The new policy has come in the heart of the season, with players moving from grass onto hardcourts, running from Washington DC to Toronto, Cincinnati and New York. Asked about it in Toronto, most wanted to keep their reactions short.
“I like this,” said Swiss World No. 14 Belinda Bencic. “I completely stand behind the decision of the WTA and the new policy, so I’m really happy that we are going to do this.”
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan didn’t see a lot of point in administering the test.
“I wouldn’t say it’s unnecessary, but I think without it, it would be fine also,” said Tour’s second-ranked player.
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Tour veteran Taylor Townsend said she still had questions about the WTA’s genetic testing that she would like answered.John E. Sokolowski/Reuters
American Taylor Townsend took her time with an answer, saying she is the kind of person who “likes to know what I’m signing up for.” She has questions she still would like answered about the testing when she has more time to think it through and ask. She thinks the WTA is good about providing the info.
“I’ve been on Tour for 15 years, and I’ve never been asked to do this. I’ve conceived a child, birthed a child, like this is crazy,” said Townsend, with a laugh.
“There are politics that happen within the sport that affect us as players. And so, for me, I just am doing everything that I can to get all the information I can.”
The women’s tour says it consulted players, tournaments, and their representatives. Gauff said there were some players who only learned about it once the WTA put out its press release, so she felt the conversation beforehand could have been more transparent.
Dr. Robby Sikka, the medical director of the Professional Tennis Players’ Association, said the WTA has not reached out to him about the gender testing. A handful of players have contacted him though, expressing concern about how this test information is going to be used.
He hopes the WTA players get curious and have their questions answered.
“I believe that we should understand the purpose of data, because this is private data, you’re collecting labs, so what are you doing with the samples, who is in control of those samples?” said Dr. Sikka. “How are we using that information today? And how will we use it in the future? And if you can’t answer those questions, then let’s sit down and let’s figure out how we’re going to do it together.”
