Coco Gauff says she supports both trans community and ‘fairness’ in women’s tennis
Coco Gauff says she ‘definitely’ supports the trans community. (Getty)
American tennis star Coco Gauff insists that she “definitely” supports the trans community but also backs “fairness in sport” after the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced mandatory genetic sex testing for all its players.
The women’s world number four was asked for her reaction to the WTA’s controversial new policy during the Canadian Open in Toronto this week.
22-year-old Gauff, who is a two-time Grand Slam winner and one of the biggest stars in women’s tennis, replied: “I understand the reasoning behind it.”
She continued: “I do think that this kind of conversation has created a lot of animosity towards the trans community, which I’m not really a big fan of, but I also understand the need to [account for] the biological difference and the need to protect that and preserve that.
“So I think it’s a conversation that is very nuanced.”
The former Wimbledon semi-finalist made a point to denounce those using women’s sport as a means to “attack” the trans community.
“I kind of agree with trying to protect the fairness in women’s sports. But I also do not like the attack that it is creating”, she explained.
“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. I don’t really know how to answer this question in a way that people aren’t going to spin it.
Gauff concluded: “But as far as where I stand, I definitely support the trans community, but I also support the need of creating fairness in sport too.”
The WTA’s new policy requires all players to undergo genetic sex testing to remain eligible to compete, despite there being no known transgender women in professional tennis.
Under the updated policy, players will have to pass a one-time screening for the SRY gene, which helps determine biological sex, via a cheek swab or blood test.
The WTA confirmed the change to Reuters, saying screening would begin in 2026 and that it was committed to “treating all players with dignity.”
Gauff’s comments come after women’s world number one, Aryna Sabalenka shared her support for the WTA’s genetic sex testing policy earlier this week, saying, “biologically, men are stronger.”
Sharing her own thoughts on the policy, Belorussian star Sabalenka said: “I think it’s really important to keep the fairness in our tour.
“Biologically, men are way stronger than women, so I feel like it would not really be fair for women to compete against biological men.”
