Tennis is the first major women’s sports league to require genetic testing

Per The 19th, the Women's Tennis Association is now requiring female players to undergo genetic sex testing to compete. Starting this year, athletes must be screened for the SRY gene—typically found on the Y chromosome—to prove eligibility. The policy targets transgender women, but there are currently no known trans players on the WTA Tour. Instead, the testing will most likely impact intersex cisgender women, many unaware they have intersex variations. Some women with Swyer syndrome or Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, for instance, have XY chromosomes despite being born female and would fail this test. Andrew Sinclair, the scientist who discovered the SRY gene, argues the approach is scientifically flawed: the test only shows whether the gene is present, not whether it functions or whether the body can use any testosterone it might produce. Privacy advocates warn that genetic testing invades all women's privacy, pointing to cases like Olympic boxer Imane Khelif, who faced intense harassment after sex-testing questions despite not being transgender.

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