The players who choose to undergo a procedure for protecting fertility will be authorized to withdraw from the time of the sport and to return to competitive actions with a protected classification, said the director of female tennis.
The new rule aims to support female athletes to balance their family goals and their career ambitions, and occurs three months after the WTA offered players up to 12 months of maternity leave paid for the first time.
“The new rule means that players can now take time for professional tennis for a fertility protection procedure, such as the freezing of eggs or embryos, and return safely to competition with a protected classification,” the WTA said on Wednesday.
“Eligible players will receive a special entry ranking (SER), which can be used to participate in three tournaments, based on the 12 -week average of their WTA ranking compared to eight weeks before the start of their period outside.”
Sloane Stephens, the US open 2017 open champion, previously asked that egg freezing be recognized as a protected classification activity, and qualified the announcement of Wednesday as a “revolutionary” moving.
“I am incredibly proud of our sport by recognizing the importance of fertility treatments for female athletes. For any woman, the conversation of family life against a career is nuanced and complex,” said former world number.
“The WTA has now created a safe space for the players to explore the options and make the best decisions for themselves.”
The WTA also said that players will benefit from paid maternity leave and subsidy for the protection of fertility through the WTA maternity fund sponsored by public Sadi Investment Fund.
