Transgender women will be banned from playing in the women's division in most domestic tennis tournaments in Britain from next month.
Current Lawn Tennis Association rules allow players to self-identify but, from 25 January 2025, transgender women and non-binary people assigned male at birth will only be allowed to compete in the male category in Special competitions.
These include leagues and competitions in tennis and paddling involving players from various clubs and institutions, from the national championships down to local level.
Events within institutions, such as club competitions and social competitions, are marked Non-Exclusive and it is up to individual institutions to decide their own policy.
The LTA does not have jurisdiction over international events such as Wimbledon or ATP, WTA or International Tennis Federation tournaments, so this policy will only apply to domestic tennis.
Currently, transgender women are allowed to compete in the women's division in WTA and ITF events as long as they meet restrictions on testosterone levels.
The LTA has made opening up tennis to all sections of society a key strategy but cited the physiological advantages of men, including longer levers and greater cardio-vascular capacity, for policy change .
“Tennis and paddling are clearly gendered sports – the average man has an advantage when playing against the average woman,” read a statement.
“The current broad consensus, including the conclusion of the review carried out by the Sports Councils Equality Group, is that this benefit is likely to be held largely in transgender women, making the competition potentially unfair.
“We are changing our policy to prevent transgender women and non-binary people assigned male at birth from playing in the women's division in specific, inter-institute competitions.
Rules allowing players to self-identify will expire in January 2025
“We want to encourage local institutions to ensure that they are as inclusive as possible for transgender and non-binary people, providing opportunities to compete in a friendly environment. Accordingly , we have our own product Local Tennis Leagues (mostly played in parks) it will be fully inclusive.”
The new policy is the result of an 18-month process that involved consultation with affected groups and other sports, and the LTA has promised to review the policy in the future.
“We recognize the diversity of views on this matter and would like to assure the tennis community that the LTA will continue to listen to all views and monitor the policy in response to research and data that is emerging, and further guidance from other relevant agencies,” the statement concluded.
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