‘I Want To Know’ – Rennae Stubbs Questions WTA Players’ Role in New Eligibility Policy As Pam Shriver Discloses Own Experience

The WTA has reopened a controversial debate following an update to its eligibility requirements. They have introduced a mandatory, one-time genetic sex testing policy for all players competing on the tour.

Players must submit a cheek swab, blood, or saliva sample to screen for the SRY gene, which is a DNA segment typically found on the Y chromosome that triggers male sexual development. And the mandate has triggered a wave of scrutiny across the tennis community.

Rennae Stubbs Questions WTA Player Board’s Role in New Sex-Testing Policy as Pam Shriver Reveals Her Own Experience

On Sunday, reporting for Bounces, tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg wrote, “Following cultural momentum around anti-trans pushes in sports, the WTA has enacted a new policy that will require all players to undergo genetic sex testing in order to continue playing on WTA Tour.”

For veterans of the game, the announcement brought back memories as well. Reacting to the news under Rothenberg’s X post, tennis Hall of Famer Pam Shriver commented, “At 15 years of age I had to take this kind of test 48 years ago.”

Former world No. 1 in doubles and commentator Rennae Stubbs also expressed her thoughts over the sudden implementation of the rule. On the latest episode of “The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast,” she zeroed in on the WTA Player Board, demanding full accountability regarding who actually supported the mandate.

Stubbs’ comment puts the spotlight firmly on the athletes’ voices in professional tennis. Especially because in December 2025, the current WTA world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, had expressed her opposition to transgender athletes competing in women’s tennis, stating it would be unfair for women to face “biological men.”

“If the players are pushing for this, if there is a majority of the board saying we should be sex testing our players, then I want to know who they are and I want to know if the players are the ones that are pushing for this,” Stubbs said.

SEE ALSO: ‘Give Me a Break’ — Stubbs Blasts Lionel Messi-Led Argentina After FIFA World Cup Final Fiasco

Meanwhile, the policy has also ignited a rift between the sport’s most prominent figures. pointing to contrasting views among peers like Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King. While Navaratilova backs the new policy, King believes it’s discriminatory against transgender players.

Stubbs also brought up the case of transgender tennis pioneer Renee Richards, who also coached Navratilova. But Richards reportedly opposes trans athletes competing in professional tennis today, and Stubbs disagrees with the stance of many, including Navratilova.