"How can we allow transfemales to compete in women's sports?": Novak Djokovic-led PTPA associate on transgender track-runner winning 2 women's events

Novak Djokovic-led Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) associate Bill Ackman recently shared his opinion on allowing trans women athletes to compete in women's sports. Ackman is the founder and CEO of a hedge fund management company, Pershing Square Capital Management.

PTPA, founded by the Serb and Vasek Pospisil in 2019 and launched in 2020, is an association of tennis players representing the top 500 singles and top 200 doubles players. Currently, it counts Djokovic, Hubert Hurkacz, Ons Jabeur, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Pospisil, Diego Schwartzman, Taylor Townsend, and Zheng Saisai as members of its executive committee.

Recently, Ackman opined on allowing trans women athletes to compete in the women's sports categories. While responding to news that a trans athlete competed in the women's 200-meter and 400-meter race categories and broke school records, Ackman acknowledged that it was a controversial topic.

He wrote that male hormones could give an unfair advantage and claimed that allowing trans women to compete in women's sports was wrong.

"Not to weigh in on another controversial topic, but here goes: When we screen female athletes in the Olympics for testosterone supplementation etc., we do so because we understand that male hormones can give female athletes a material and unfair competitive advantage. How then can we allow transfemales to compete in women’s sports? What is the best argument for allowing transfemales to compete in women’s sports, but disallowing women to use performance enhancing drugs in the same contest? What am I missing?" Ackman wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account.

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Bill Ackman lauds Novak Djokovic's efforts for founding PTPA

The Serb at the 2023 Davis Cup Finals Group Stage

Bill Ackman lauded Novak Djokovic's efforts in launching the PTPA. In an interview with CNBC, he said that the World No. 1 stepped back when Ackman took charge. Ackman reiterated that the organization would not have been possible if not for the Serb's efforts.

"Novak Djokovic deserves numerous credit for setting up the PTPA, which is what he did, without him this would not have happened. But he stepped back after I got involved and Pospisil, Canadian player, fantastic guy, respected by players, has been leading the charge for the PTPA," Ackman said at 3:54.

He also stated that Djokovic was not an investor in the organization and that the PTPA has been returning the capital from players.

"Novak is not an investor in the entity, in fact, we're returning the capital to people (players) who put up capital to start the PTPA," he said at 4:33.

Ackman also added that the Serb understands how hard it was for lower-ranked players.

"This is for all of the players. Novak Djokovic needs this organization the least, he didn't start this for himself, he did it for legacy reasons, he knows about how hard it is," he said at 4:47.

Novak Djokovic will next be seen at the Italian Open and will face Corentin Moutet or Roman Safiullin in the second round, having received a bye in the first round.