World No. 1 in women’s tennis, Belarusian Arina Sabalenka (pictured), spoke out on the 9th about the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports, saying it is “unfair” for women to play against “biological men” in professional tennis. Photographed in Riyadh in November (2025 Reuters)
(Reuters) – Belarusian world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Wednesday spoke out about the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports, saying it was “unfair” for women to play with “biological men” in professional tennis.
Current Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rules allow transgender women to compete if they identify as female for at least four years, suppress their testosterone levels, and agree to testing procedures.
When asked about this on Piers Morgan’s talk show, Sabalenka said: “It’s a difficult question. Personally, I have nothing against transgender athletes,” but added: “I still feel like we have a much greater advantage over female athletes. I don’t think it’s fair for female athletes to play against biological males.”
In recent years, various sports organizations have conducted their own investigations into the eligibility of transgender athletes. Last December, the British Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) announced that it would ban transgender women from participating in some women’s tournaments, including competitions between their clubs, local tournaments, and national tournaments.
While human rights organizations and other organizations have said that excluding transgender athletes from competitions is tantamount to discrimination, others have pointed out that transgender women who went through adolescence as men have a significant physical advantage.
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