Women tennis stars undergoing fertility procedures to have ranking protected

Female tennis players ranked inside the top 750 will have their ranking protected if they choose to take time off from competition for a fertility procedure such as egg or embryo freezing, the WTA announced.

This follows the introduction in March of paid maternity leave and grants for fertility protection measures in women’s tennis.

Under the new protected ranking rule covering absences for fertility procedures, players can use the special ranking to enter up to three tournaments.

Players already were eligible for ranking protection while pregnant or other ways of becoming a parent.

“For any woman, the conversation of family life versus a career is nuanced and complex,” 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens said in a statement released by the tour.

“The WTA has now created a safe space for players to explore options and to make the best decisions for themselves.”

Stephens revealed last year she had frozen her eggs twice during the tennis off-season.

“During my first retrieval cycle, I ended up gaining around 20lb (over 9kgs) due to hormones and taking a break from training that, going forward, I would be more aware of and plan differently for my next cycle this off-season,” the American told Essence magazine.

“It is also important to rest and not over-exert yourself, at the risk of developing ovarian torsion or other complications, so I had to really plan out my training blocks and off-season to make it all happen.

“Because of this, I am really passionate about introducing protected rankings for players undergoing fertility treatments so that they can feel supported in making decisions for themselves and properly caring for their bodies without rushing back out of fear of ranking points or career setbacks.”

Commenting further on the new rule in a statement, Stephens said: “I’m incredibly proud of our sport in recognising the importance of fertility treatments for female athletes

“It’s truly groundbreaking and will empower this generation, and future generations of players, to continue with the sport they love without having to compromise.”