Tennis transgender row kicks off as Australian Open boss pushes for change

A row over the topic of transgender participation in professional tennis has kicked off after Australian Open boss Craig Tiley called on the ITF and WTA to allow the athletes in question to compete in the women’s category. The ITF’s current policy requires those who have transitioned from male to female to maintain testosterone levels below five nanomoles per litre for at least 12 months before taking part in any sanctioned events.

Tiley, who is the CEO of Tennis Australia and the director of the Australian Open, addressed the topic last week by declaring his support for the inclusion of transgender players in women’s tennis. He told the Sydney Morning Herald: “When it comes to professional tennis, we’ve got to be responsive to the international tennis federations, they set the guidelines and the policy on it.

“But you know, as a sport, we’ve made our position pretty clear … and we are supportive [of transgender inclusion]. Tennis has had to grapple with the decisions on this for quite a while.

“We’re trying to influence the decision now. We are an organisation that believes absolutely in inclusivity, in diversity, in equality, so any decision made will need to be aligned with our core values.”

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Tiley’s firm stance on the issue has since been challenged by 18-time Grand Slam winner Martina Navratilova, who took to Twitter to outline her concerns that biological women could be denied opportunities to compete if they are replaced by transgender athletes at tournaments.

“By including trans identified males in female category, biological females lose a spot,” wrote Navratilova. “It’s that simple. Seems to me Craig Tilley doesn’t understand that concept.”

Rachel Wong, the CEO of Women’s Forum Australia, recently offered a similar view to Navratilova by calling for prominent female athletes to oppose transgender participation at a professional level in order to preserve sporting integrity.

“No doubt it’s because they’re in fear of losing their jobs, in fear of being vilified and cancelled but the reality is we’re not going to see enough movement on this issue until sports professionals actually stand up on this,” Wong told Sky News.

“Serena Williams was another one, who again, has also said that men’s and women’s tennis are completely different. These women have a responsibility to their sports and to the female athletes that are going to come after them and who are not going to have the same fair playing field that they have managed to have themselves.”

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