Female Stars Praise Rule Excluding Men From Women’s Tennis
Aryna Sabalenka, a top-ranked female tennis player, publicly defended maintaining gender-specific sports rules that exclude men from women’s competitions, emphasizing the importance of fairness. Her stance aligns with recent policies like the WTA’s genetic testing rule requiring athletes to provide saliva or blood samples to verify the SRY gene, which is present only in men.This measure supports the broader move by organizations such as the IOC, which also mandates sex testing to ensure women compete against women, citing safety and fairness concerns. Prominent figures like Martina Navratilova and Coco Gauff have expressed support for these policies, though some athletes and organizations, such as the WNBA, have been criticized for lacking clear definitions and protections regarding biological sex, leading to protests and controversy. The WNBA’s current collective bargaining agreement mentions that only women can play but does not explicitly define what constitutes a woman, resulting in mixed messages. Figures like Penny Nance advocate for policies grounded in biological truth, emphasizing that science shows the unfair advantage male athletes have. many in sports are calling for adherence to principles of fairness and biological reality,warning against policies motivated by political agendas that threaten women’s sports integrity.
Aryna Sabalenka, the best women’s singles tennis player in the world, joined the ranks of pro-women professional athletes on Aug. 2 by standing up for keeping men out of women’s sports.
“I think it’s really important to keep fairness in our tour,” she said in a press conference. “It would not be really fair for the women to compete against biological men.”
Sabalenka’s remarks came after she received a question on a new rule from the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) already in effect that requires a genetic test for all players to keep men out of the women’s bracket in the 2028 Olympics. The test will require athletes to provide a saliva or blood sample for SRY screening, which looks for the SRY gene found only in men.
The WTA adopted this test after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced its own new policy in March that requires SRY gene testing to protect women’s sports. IOC President Kirsty Coventry supported the change, stating that “At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. So, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe.”
Another tennis legend, Martina Navratilova, also praised the new genetic test rule, stating online that she is “very happy that we at the WTA are clear that we are a women’s association and only women, as in females, can compete at the highest level of women’s tennis.”
Coco Gauff, a 22-year-old tennis star, also spoke out in favor of the rule, saying that she “agree[s] with trying to protect the fairness in women’s sport” but dislikes that some purportedly “want to use this as a reason to attack the trans community.”
Other similar institutions started pushing back on the left’s LGBT “inclusivity” mandate in sports. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee banned men identifying as women from women’s sports last year because of President Donald Trump’s February 2025 executive order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” The NCAA also changed its policies to reflect biological truth because of the executive order. The same year, World Boxing began requiring a sex test for all athletes.
Some major athletic organizations in the U.S. still lack clear protections for women, such as the WNBA. Sophie Cunningham is the latest basketball star to face deep criticism from the left for wanting to “protect women’s sports.” In a July interview with ESPN, Cunningham expressed a desire to “extend love” by telling the truth about biological sex to “protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.” Since then, Cunningham has faced various protests and harassment from both fans and WNBA coaches alike.
The WNBA’s most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) clearly stipulates that only women can play in the WNBA, but it leaves out a definition of what a woman is even as prominent league voices illogically argue the term can include men. An earlier version of the CBA placed the requirement in quotes, as if to suggest that the requirement is up for interpretation.
Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams certainly believes it is. In response to Cunningham’s stand for truth, Williams remarked that she would “welcome a trans athlete on my team or against my team.” Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve also showed her support for delusional ideology by purposefully wearing a “trans kids belong” shirt to a game against the Fever, Cunningham’s team.
Fellow Fever player Caitlyn Clark, who has faced various attacks, both literal and figurative, from leftist teammates and the media for her “whiteness,” recently failed to defend Cunningham and women’s sports. After a game on Aug. 2, Clark said that defining what a woman is and enforcing those policies is “for leagues and governing bodies to work with their athletes to find solutions.”
Nevertheless, the WNBA does need to follow the example of the WTA, IOC, and NCAA and start looking “in the mirror and do some soul-searching about what it stands for — fairness in women’s sports or not?” said Penny Nance, CEO and president of Concerned Women for America, which recently called on the WNBA to protect biological fairness in sports.
Nance has repeatedly stood up for women’s sports because “it is no secret that science, biology, and common sense show the unfair advantage biological male athletes have against female athletes.”
The WNBA and any remaining institutions enabling men in women’s sports need to learn from the podium-stealing “Lia” Thomas, assaulted high schooler Kallie Keeler, and injured college athlete Payton McNabb the basic truth Sabalenka expressed in her press conference: “Men are way stronger than women,” and rules that protect women are “fair. … Let’s keep it that way.”
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