Rising Tennis Pro Faces
Gender Battle

Tennis insiders are grappling with issues of sexual identity and biology regarding an up-and-coming German star on the international circuit.

Sarah Gronert, 22, was born with both male and female genitalia but underwent surgery to become female both legally and physically. However, some coaches, players, and officials charge that she seems unnaturally strong for a woman and speculate, based on her birth condition, that she may benefit from a higher-than-average distribution of male hormones -- and question whether she should therefore be allowed to compete against women at all.

Schlomo Tzoref, who coaches player Julia Glushko, told the New York Daily News that Gronert has a clear advantage and should not be able to compete against women.

"There is no girl who can hit serves like that, not even Venus Williams," he said. Gronert (ranked 619 by the Women's Tennis Association) beat Glushko (ranked 325) and three other opponents in a tournament in Ra'anana, Israel, a few weeks ago. "This is not a woman, it's a man. She does not have the power of a woman and no woman has such a technique," he added.

According to her WTA record, Gronert has played nine tournaments around the world and has won two, including the Ra'anana tournament on March 2 and a January tournament in Kaarst, Germany.