Tennis Australia is pushing for the sport’s world governing bodies to maintain inclusive rules for transgender players, as elite sports around the globe wrestle with fierce divisions about the participation of trans athletes in women’s competitions.

In a bid to influence any changes to elite-level eligibility for trans and gender diverse athletes, Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley said he is talking to the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).

Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley is talking to tennis bodies about inclusion policies in regard to trans and gender-diverse players.

Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley is talking to tennis bodies about inclusion policies in regard to trans and gender-diverse players.Credit: Benny Capp

“We’re trying to influence the decision now. We are an organisation that believes in absolutely in inclusivity, in diversity, in equality – so any decision made will need to be aligned with our core values,” Tiley said when asked about TA’s attitude to trans inclusion at the elite level.

“To be able to influence those decisions as best as we can internationally, so they are aligned with our values, is really important.”

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A Tennis Australia spokesperson added that the values of inclusion and equality were “at the heart” of tennis.

“As a global sport, policies for elite and pro players are determined by the international governing bodies. Equality and consistency across the sport is a priority,” the spokesperson said. “We’ll always use our seat at the table to ensure all the necessary work - research, consultation and collaboration - is done.”

There are no known transgender tennis players currently seeking to compete at the elite level.

The push to influence tennis’ elite-level policies comes amid an overhaul of global sports’ transgender rules, a domino-like effect sparked after the International Olympic Committee relinquished responsibility of trans and gender diverse eligibility to the individual sports in 2021.

Some sports, including World Aquatics (formerly FINA) and World Athletics, introduced effective bans on trans athletes competing in their women’s competitions. Other sports have toughened their requirements for eligibility. These decisions were made, according to those sporting codes, to make the competitions fairer for those competing.

Tennis Australia does not have the jurisdiction to determine the eligibility of transgender athletes at the elite level, including for the Australian Open. This is determined by policies set by the ITF and WTA.

The ITF’s current policy, updated in 2018, requires trans athletes competing in women’s competitions to have maintained their testosterone levels below five nanomoles per litre for at least a year, and provide a signed declaration of their gender identity.

The WTA’s policy, also updated in 2018, is similar, but allows a higher testosterone threshold, requiring trans athletes in women’s competitions to have maintained their testosterone levels below 10 nmol/L for at least a year.

The ITF and WTA were contacted for comment.

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“When it comes to the 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],” Tiley said.

Tiley pointed to the sport’s history of inclusion by referencing transgender athlete Renee Richards, who became a pioneer for transgender athletes when she sued to play at the 1977 US Open.

“Tennis has had to grapple with the decisions on this for quite a while,” he said.

A Tennis Australia source, who requested anonymity to speak freely on the matter, said the sporting code was seeking uniformity and fairness across the sport’s elite policies. The source added the WTA is currently looking at other performance measures to determine eligibility, rather than relying on testosterone levels alone.

“Until those final decisions are made, or when they’re made, we’ll be able to know what the appropriate response will be, but we’ve made it pretty clear where we are as an organisation, and where we are as a sport here,” Tiley said.

The ITF and WTA’s current policies are in line with the bulk of high-performance frameworks in place across sporting codes, which require trans and gender diverse athletes to reduce their testosterone levels down to either 10, five, or 2.5 nmol/L for a matter of years.

Renee Richards was the first openly transgender athlete to compete in professional women’s tennis.

Renee Richards was the first openly transgender athlete to compete in professional women’s tennis.Credit: Getty Images

By adulthood, normal testosterone levels in females range between 0.3 and 2.4 nmol/L. Females with polycystic ovary syndrome have levels considered to be between 3.1 nmol/L and 4.8 nmol/L.

Comparatively, the normal range in males is between 9.2 and 31.8 nmol/L.

Testosterone is a key determinant for eligibility because of the effect it has on the body. Testosterone-fuelled puberty (experienced most commonly by males), results in various changes, including an increase in muscle mass and bone density, and increases in cardiovascular and lung capacity.

Trans and intersex women are able to reduce their testosterone levels through hormone treatment, which can reverse some but not all the effects of testosterone-fuelled puberty.

The participation of transgender athletes in women’s competitions has been at the forefront of debate for years, recently intensified by the politicisation of trans rights, and further complicated by a lack of scientific understanding about the performance of elite trans athletes.

In 2019, Tennis Australia was among several of the nation’s sporting codes to adopt the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Australian Institute of Sport’s guidelines for participation for trans and gender diverse people in grassroots sport. These guidelines do not cover elite settings.

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