World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has publicly stated her opposition to transgender athletes competing in professional women’s sports, arguing that it creates an uneven playing field. Speaking in an interview with Piers Morgan to promote her upcoming ‘Battle of the Sexes’ exhibition match against Nick Kyrgios in Dubai, the four-time Grand Slam champion addressed the controversial topic when asked for her views.
“That’s a tricky question. I have nothing to do against them. But I feel like they still got a huge advantage over the women and I think it’s not fair on women to face basically biological men,” Sabalenka said.
The Belarusian star elaborated on her stance, emphasizing the physical disparities she perceives between biological males and females in elite competition.
“It’s not fair. The woman has been working her whole life to reach her limit and then she has to face a man, who is biologically much stronger, so for me I don’t agree with this kind of stuff in sport,” she added. Sitting alongside her, Australian player Nick Kyrgios voiced his support for her perspective, stating, “I think she hit the nail on the head.”
Currently, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) allows transgender women to compete provided they meet specific criteria. The policy requires athletes to declare their gender as female for a minimum of four years and maintain testosterone levels below 2.5 nanomoles per litre (nmol/L) for at least two years prior to competition.
While these regulations exist, there are currently no transgender players competing at the top level of the tour. Historically, Renee Richards remains the most prominent example, having competed on the tour from 1977 to 1981 after transitioning.
During the same interview, Sabalenka also dismissed recent comments made by Ukrainian player Marta Kostyuk. In October, Kostyuk claimed she was at a disadvantage against top players like Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek due to their allegedly higher natural testosterone levels.
Sabalenka rejected this assertion, stating, “All I hear here is just excuses. It’s actually quite funny, because she is a strong girl, and she probably has more muscles than I do...I think that is not the case in all the matches she lost against top players.”
The debate around transgender inclusion in elite sports continues to evolve globally. In 2024, Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association updated its rules to bar transgender women from female competitions at the national level, mirroring moves by several other international sports federations to restrict the female category to those who have not gone through male puberty.
