The gene at the center of the WTA's new policy is called SRY — short for sex-determining region Y. It sits on the Y chromosome and triggers a cascade of biological development that leads to testes formation in utero. Its presence or absence is now the WTA's single eligibility criterion, separating who qualifies as a 'biological female' for professional competition from those defined as 'biological male' under the new rules.

The WTA has been careful to draw a line between this biological definition and gender identity. The organization stated explicitly that the policy is not meant to question or disrespect any person's gender identity. But critics — including human rights experts and activist groups — argue the screening itself carries that implication, regardless of the language surrounding it.

How Major Sports Governing Bodies Compare on Gender Eligibility

The WTA's decision didn't emerge in a vacuum. It follows the International Olympic Committee's March eligibility policy and President Donald Trump's executive order on sports, both aimed at setting a unified standard before the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The WTA acknowledged it is 'complying with what is effectively an order from the IOC' — language that reveals the tension between a sports organization's independent governance and the political and institutional pressure surrounding the Olympics.

What remains genuinely unknown — even to the WTA — is how many, if any, transgender women currently compete at the professional or Games level in tennis. The policy addresses a population whose size in elite women's sport is, by the organization's own admission, unclear.

How Well Do You Know the WTA's New Policy?

Four questions. The answers may surprise you.

The WTA's new test targets the SRY gene. What does this gene primarily do in human biology?

• It determines height and muscle fiber composition — Not quite. The SRY gene's role is specifically developmental — it initiates male sex development in utero by triggering testes formation, not physical traits like height or muscle type.
• It initiates male sex development in utero and indicates testes — Correct. The SRY gene sits on the Y chromosome and triggers the biological cascade leading to testes formation — which is exactly why the WTA chose it as the eligibility marker.
• It regulates testosterone production after puberty — Testosterone regulation is a separate process. The SRY gene acts much earlier — during fetal development — initiating the presence of testes rather than controlling hormone output later in life.
• It signals chromosomal sex but has no developmental role — The SRY gene is actively developmental, not just a passive marker. It triggers male sex development in utero — that active role is precisely why the WTA and other sports bodies selected it.

The IOC introduced its eligibility policy — which the WTA is now aligning with — in which month?

• January — The IOC's eligibility policy came later in the year. It was introduced in March, timed in part to align with President Trump's executive order on sports ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
• March — Correct. The IOC introduced its eligibility policy in March — the WTA's new rule explicitly aligns with that directive and with President Trump's executive order ahead of the 2028 Games.
• June — June is when the WTA announced its own update, but the IOC directive it follows came earlier — in March — establishing the framework that Olympic sports bodies are now adopting.
• September — The IOC acted much earlier in the year. Its eligibility policy was introduced in March, giving Olympic-affiliated sports bodies time to update their own rules ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Before the WTA acted, which sports had already introduced mandatory gender screening?

• Swimming, gymnastics, and volleyball — Those sports weren't named as having adopted mandatory screening. The WTA specifically cited track and field, skiing, and boxing as the governing bodies that preceded tennis in implementing gender screening.
• Track and field, skiing, and boxing — Correct. The WTA's policy specifically names track and field, skiing, and boxing as sports whose governing bodies had already introduced mandatory gender screening — and notes that all have faced criticism from human rights experts.
• Soccer, basketball, and cycling — Those sports weren't mentioned. Track and field, skiing, and boxing were the three cited in the WTA's announcement as having already adopted mandatory gender screening before tennis.
• Only one sport — track and field — Multiple sports preceded the WTA. Track and field, skiing, and boxing all conducted mandatory gender screening before the WTA updated its eligibility policy this week.

How many transgender women does the WTA say are currently competing at the Games level in tennis?

• Fewer than five — The WTA didn't name a small number — the honest answer is that the number is genuinely unknown. The organization acknowledged it remained unclear how many, if any, transgender women compete at Games level.
• None — the sport has already screened them out — There's no prior screening to point to. This policy is a new first for tennis. Whether any transgender women compete at the elite level was described as unclear at the time of the announcement.
• It is unclear — possibly none — Correct. The WTA itself said it remained unclear how many, if any, transgender women are competing at Games level. The policy addresses a scenario whose actual prevalence in elite tennis is unknown.
• Several dozen across all WTA events — No such figure was reported. The WTA acknowledged the number is unknown — 'it remained unclear how many, if any, transgender women are competing at Games level' was the organization's own characterization.

What's True and What's More Complicated

The WTA is acting independently to protect competitive fairness.

Verdict: mixed

The WTA framed its policy around fairness, but also stated it is 'complying with what is effectively an order from the IOC' — meaning the decision reflects institutional pressure, not purely an independent judgment.

Gene testing distinguishes biological sex from gender identity.

Verdict: true

The WTA explicitly stated its policy distinguishes between biological sex and gender identity, and that the screening carries 'no intent to disrespect or question the gender identity or dignity of any person.'

Mandatory gender screening in sports is widely accepted internationally.

Verdict: mostly false

Human rights experts and activist groups have criticized the mandatory gender screening already adopted by track and field, skiing, and boxing — the same policies the WTA is now following.

The SRY gene is an infallible biological marker of sex.

Verdict: mixed

The WTA defines it as the eligibility marker, but the policy itself acknowledges edge cases — referencing 'streak testes' and 'streak ovaries,' medical terms for atypical gonadal development, suggesting the biology is not as binary as a simple positive/negative result might imply.

The WTA's policy arrives at a moment when women's sports governance is being reshaped from multiple directions at once. The IOC is setting Olympic eligibility frameworks. The U.S. executive branch issued an order on sports. Individual governing bodies are choosing how to comply — and how to explain that compliance to athletes, fans, and the broader public.

Linda Noskova's recent Wimbledon victory and Serena Williams's opening-round loss at Wimbledon both remind Americans what's at stake in women's tennis: a sport with global stars, passionate fans, and competitive integrity that has always been worth protecting. The question now is whether the method chosen to protect that integrity is itself fair — and who gets to decide.

The Science Behind the SRY Gene: What the Policy Actually Measures

The SRY gene — sex-determining region Y — is a small but consequential stretch of DNA found on the Y chromosome in most biological males. During fetal development, the presence of SRY triggers the formation of testes, which in turn produce hormones that drive further male sex development. Its absence leads to ovarian development instead.

The WTA's policy uses SRY presence or absence as its sole eligibility criterion. A 'biological male' under the policy is any individual who has the SRY gene and therefore has or previously had testes or streak testes — regardless of legal sex or gender identity. A 'biological female' is any individual without the SRY gene who has or previously had ovaries or streak ovaries.

The term 'streak' refers to medically atypical gonadal tissue — an acknowledgment that human biology does not always follow a clean binary. This language in the policy signals awareness that the test may surface edge cases, though the WTA has not publicly addressed how those cases would be handled.

What Happens Under the New WTA Policy

1. All players are tested — once — The SRY gene test is mandatory and one-time. Every player competing on the WTA Tour is subject to it, effective this week.
2. Result determines biological sex classification — Presence of the SRY gene classifies a player as 'biological male' under the policy; absence classifies them as 'biological female,' the eligible category for WTA competition.
3. Policy is separate from gender identity — The WTA explicitly states the policy does not question or disrespect any player's gender identity. The test addresses biological sex classification only for eligibility purposes.
4. Olympic eligibility follows — Players who meet the WTA's biological female criteria are eligible to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics under the IOC's aligned framework.

The Bigger Picture: Olympic Sports in 2028

• Los Angeles 2028: The 2028 Olympics will be the first Games where WTA eligibility is governed by SRY gene screening. The IOC's March directive set the framework; multiple Olympic sports bodies are now aligning with it.
• Criticism on Record: Mandatory gender screening in track and field, skiing, and boxing has drawn documented criticism from human rights experts and activist groups. The WTA's adoption puts tennis into that ongoing debate.
• Policy vs. Identity: The WTA stated clearly: this policy governs biological sex for eligibility purposes and carries no intent to challenge or disrespect any player's gender identity.

Women's tennis has long been a proving ground for bigger conversations about sport, equality, and who gets to compete. From Serena Williams's dominance over two decades to the emergence of players like Linda Noskova on the Wimbledon grass, the WTA has shown that the highest level of women's competition produces some of the most compelling sport on earth.

The gene testing policy will not change who plays at the top of the WTA rankings today. But it will define the legal and biological framework for who is eligible to compete for the foreseeable future — including at the Los Angeles Games in 2028, where American fans will be watching from the stands. Whether that framework proves to be fair, durable, and humane is a question the sport — and the country — is only beginning to answer.

Sources & References

• Primary source: Scripps News — AP via Scripps News Group
• Women's Tennis Association — WTA updated women's eligibility policy introducing mandatory SRY gene testing
• International Olympic Committee — IOC eligibility policy introduced in March, aligned with U.S. executive order ahead of 2028 Los Angeles Olympics