The WTA Tour has announced a new rule allowing female tennis players to protect their ranking if they take time off for egg or embryo freezing.
This aims to ease the pressure on athletes balancing their careers and family planning.
Players ranked in the top 750 who are out of competition for over 10 weeks due to fertility treatment will receive a “special ranking” for up to three tournaments within 10 weeks of their return.
2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, who has frozen her eggs twice, welcomed the move.
She emphasized the importance of the protection, stating, “Having the protected ranking there, so that players don’t feel forced to come back early and risk their health again, is the best thing possible.”
WTA chief executive Portia Archer confirmed the player-led initiative, noting it helps address the “conundrum where peak athletic performance coincides with the time period of peak fertility.”
This builds on recent WTA support, including paid maternity leave introduced this year and grants for fertility treatment.
The WTA also offers a health team and modified rules for mothers returning to the tour. Other sports, like the WNBA, offer similar fertility treatment reimbursement.
