World-renowned tennis player and nine-time Wimbledon singles title holder Martina Navratilova has publicly stated her support for the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) new sex testing policy. According to the WTA’s eligibility requirements, starting in 2026 all players will be required to undergo a one-time screening process for the SRY gene, the part of the Y chromosome that initiates male sexual development in humans, “to preserve the integrity of women’s professional tennis and maintain fair competition conditions for all players participating in WTA Tournaments.”
Navratilova shared her thoughts on X in response to the policy and other X users’ denouncement thereof: “WTA supports all women. As in females … Males are free to play in the men’s tournaments however they might identify. Simple.” The retired tennis pro’s comment comes as no surprise given her longstanding opposition to trans women’s inclusion in women’s sports.
It is important to note that as of the writing of this article no known transgender women athletes are currently competing as part of the WTA, but that was not always the case. From 1977 to 1981 transgender tennis player Renée Richards competed on the WTA Tour after her victory in the Supreme Court forced the USTA to drop chromosomal testing, a landmark case in transgender rights in sports. Interestingly enough, following her retirement from professional tennis, Richards coached Navratilova through two of her Wimbledon titles.
Today, despite her past inclusion in the WTA Open, a 91-year-old Richards sides with Navratilova on the issue of transgender women in women’s sports: “I believe that having gone through male puberty disqualifies transgender women from the female category in sports.” However, Richards goes on to remark, “There may be a time when prospective transgender women and girls may not go through male puberty, their inclusion in sports as women will have to be reevaluated if, and when, that happens.”
As a minority owner of Carolina Ascent Football Club, Navratilova is a well-known in women’s sports in the Carolinas. Her opposition to trans women’s inclusion in women’s sports sets the tone for women’s and girls’ sports organizations across the region. Both North and South Carolina have enacted their own versions of laws restricting trans women and girls from participation in middle school, high school and collegiate women’s sports teams, yet no such law exists for private clubs like the one Navratilova partly owns.
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