FILE PHOTO: Tennis - WTA 250 - Birmingham Classic - Edgbaston Priory Club, Birmingham, Britain - June 21, 2023 General view of a tennis ball pictured alongside a player's shadow during a match Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine/File Photo
(Reuters) -Female players who choose to undergo a fertility protection procedure will be allowed to take time away from the sport and return to competitive action with a protected ranking, the governing body of women's tennis (WTA) said on Wednesday.
The new rule aims to support women athletes to balance their family goals and career ambitions and comes three months after the WTA offered players up to 12 months of paid maternity leave for the first time.
"The new rule means that players can now take time away from professional tennis for a fertility protection procedure such as egg or embryo freezing and safely return to competition with a protected ranking," the WTA said in a statement.
"Eligible players will receive a Special Entry Ranking (SER), which can be used to enter up to three tournaments, based on the 12-week average of their WTA Ranking from eight weeks prior to the start of their out-of-competition period."
Sloane Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, has previously called for egg freezing to be recognised as a protected ranking activity and called Wednesday's announcement a "ground-breaking" move.
"I'm incredibly proud of our sport in recognising the importance of fertility treatments for female athletes. For any woman, the conversation of family life versus a career is nuanced and complex," the former world number three said.
"The WTA has now created a safe space for players to explore options and to make the best decisions for themselves."
The WTA also said players will benefit from paid maternity leave and grants for fertility protection through the WTA Maternity Fund sponsored by the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; editing by Pritha Sarkar)
