WTA Introduces Ranking Protection for Players Who Freeze Their Eggs

A Game-Changer for Female Athletes

🚨 The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has announced a groundbreaking policy to protect the rankings of players who take time off to freeze their eggs or embryos.

🚨 This move aims to support female athletes in balancing their careers with family planning, addressing the challenge of peak athletic performance coinciding with peak fertility years.

How It Works

📢 Players ranked in the world’s top 750 who spend at least 10 weeks out of competition for fertility treatment will have their ranking protected.

📢 They can use their special ranking to enter up to three tournaments within 10 weeks of their return, ensuring they don’t lose their competitive standing.

📢 The ranking will be based on a 12-week average before and during their leave, allowing players to return without pressure.

Athletes Speak Out

📢 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, who has frozen her eggs twice, praised the policy, saying it reduces the pressure on players to return too quickly.

📢 Madison Keys called the decision “amazing,” emphasizing that family planning is a major concern for female athletes.

📢 Other sports, like the WNBA, have also introduced fertility treatment reimbursements, showing a growing trend in athlete support.