WTA World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Monday offered her full support for new mandatory sex testing designed to keep men out of women’s sports.
The WTA confirmed last month players will be asked to provide a one-time cheek swab, blood or saliva sample to check for the presence of the SRY gene, which is part of the Y chromosome and causes male characteristics to develop.
The testing has the simple aim of keeping male imposters off the women’s courts.
Asked to address the topic in Montreal, Canada, the Belarusian four-time Grand Slam champion said, “I think it’s really important to keep the fairness in our tour. It’s 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 biological men.
“I think it took them a while to make this decision and, yes, I support it…. If you want to test us all, I will gladly do so, it’s pretty fair, and let’s keep it that way.”
As Breitbart News reported, potential players who test negative for SRY are immediately qualified to play in the women’s category.
A positive result will trigger closer scrutiny before any possibility of becoming eligible, the WTA has ruled.
Players who refuse testing will be required to sign a document acknowledging their refusal could result in disciplinary action after any investigation into their application.
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova is another who has hailed the WTA’s move, calling it a “step in the right direction.”
The WTA is not alone in seeking to keep men out of the female sports arena.
The International Olympic Committee also recently updated its policies and implemented sex testing for the upcoming 2028 Olympics scheduled for Los Angeles.