06-19-2025
The World Tennis Association (WTA) will protect the rankings of female players in the top 750 who want to freeze eggs or embryos. Players who spend more than 10 weeks out of competition can take advantage of this offer.
Top female tennis players reacted positively to the news, noting how it will reduce the pressure on players to return to the court too quickly. Players who undergo fertility treatments can use their “Special Entry Ranking” to enter up to three tournaments within ten weeks of their return. After they return, this ranking will be an average of the player’s ranking over a 12-week period before and during their leave. However, the players cannot use this offer to enter one of the WTA’s “premier” 1000 events, because the WTA wants to encourage players to undergo their fertility process during a quieter part of the tennis season.
The WTA made this decision at the urging of female players from the WTA’s Player’s Council. For these female athletes, “peak athletic performance coincides with the period of peak fertility,” presenting players with a tough choice between their careers and desire for family. Earlier this year, the WTA introduced paid maternity leave and grants toward the cost of fertility treatments. Over 320 players are eligible for up to 12 months paid leave, with everyone entitled to receive the same amount irrespective of their ranking. Similarly, players can use their previous ranking to enter 12 tournaments over the three years after the birth of their child.