Coco Gauff Waffles When Asked About Tennis’ New Gender Policy: ‘I Guess I Kind of Agree’

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American tennis star Coco Gauff admitted Wednesday that she was conflicted on the sport’s new gene testing policy used to prevent trans athletes from competing with women.

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) formally introduced the new policy July 21, which requires players to undergo a one-time test for the SRY gene. The gene, as noted in a report from The Associated Press, is commonly found on the Y chromosome.

Last week, Belarusian player Aryna Sabalenka — ranked no. 1 in the world — stated she was in support of the test to prevent biological men from competing with biological women.

When posed with a similar question, Gauff said she agreed with the need for fairness, but didn’t like the way trans people were treated amid the global debate.

Speaking at the National Bank Open in Toronto, Gauff said:

I mean, I understand the reasoning behind it, and 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 — I guess the biological difference, and the need to protect that and preserve that.

So I think it’s a conversation that is very nuanced, and I need to have a nuanced answer.

So yes, I, I guess, kind of agree with trying to protect the the fairness in women’s sports, but I also do not like the attack that it is creating. 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.

Goff said she didn’t know how to answer the question “in a way that people aren’t going to spin it,” but reiterated she supports the trans community.

“But I also support the need of creating fairness in sport, too,” she said.

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