Coco Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam champion, commented on the WTA Tour’s new gene-testing policy. She expressed concerns about the politicization of the topic, which she feels leads to animosity towards the transgender community.
Gauff was speaking to reporters after her victory over Kayla Day at the Canadian Open in Toronto. She provided what she termed a nuanced perspective, acknowledging the importance of fairness in women’s sports but criticizing the antagonism generated by some individuals.
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.
The WTA introduced mandatory gene-testing for competitors in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The testing targets the SRY gene, associated with male sex development. This move mirrors actions by sports like track and field and boxing.
The policy attempts to differentiate biological sex from gender identity, ensuring no disrespect or questioning of anyone’s gender identity. Despite this, the approach has faced criticism from human rights advocates, with Gauff noting the lack of transparency when some players first learned about it.
The extent of transgender women competing at the Olympic or WTA level remains uncertain. However, the discussion continues to provoke varying reactions across the sports community.