Aryna Sabalenka arrived at the Canadian Open with plenty on her mind, and not all of it was about tennis tactics. The Belarusian top seed used her pre-tournament press conference in Montreal to address the WTA's newly introduced genetic sex-testing policy, offering a straightforward endorsement of the controversial measure.
Under the updated rule, players must undergo a one-time test for the SRY gene, which helps determine biological sex, via either a cheek swab or a blood test. The policy replaces the previous framework that allowed transgender women to compete after declaring their gender as female and maintaining testosterone below a set threshold for at least two years. Sabalenka made her position clear, indicating that women's tennis should remain exactly as it currently stands.
Her comments came at a moment when she is also eager to rediscover her best form. The 2026 season has been a mixed bag: a runner-up finish at the Australian Open, titles at Indian Wells and Miami, a quarter-final loss at Roland Garros, and then a 6-2, 7-6(2) defeat to Naomi Osaka in the Wimbledon fourth round, a result that stung given she had defeated Osaka three times earlier in the year.
Sabalenka described her reset as going "back to basics," focusing on cross-court rallies and building confidence from the baseline before layering in variety. It is a sensible approach given that all four of her Grand Slam titles have come on hard courts, including back-to-back Australian Opens and consecutive US Open crowns in 2024 and 2025.
With no ranking points to defend in Canada from last season, she has a real opportunity to extend her lead at the top. TennisDraw users have overwhelmingly placed Sabalenka deep in their Canadian Open bracket picks this week.
