Sarah Gronert Causing a Tennis Controversy; Player Born with Male and Female Genitalia
Some Believe Sarah Gronert Has an Unfair Advantage in Tennis.
Does German born tennis player Sarah Gronert have an unfair advantage?
The 22-year-old beautiful blond haired tennis player Sarah Gronert was born with both male and female genitalia. Sarah had surgery a few years ago to remove her male genitalia and is now considered to be a woman. Some in the tennis community are upset that Sarah Gronert is allowed to play in women's tennis circuits.
Fanhouse.com reports that Schlomo Tzoref, the coach of Julia Glushko said, "There is no girl who can hit serves like that, not even Venus Williams," Does Sarah Gronert have a unfair advantage to compete with other women or are some upset because she is just really good? If the World Tennis Association believes she should compete as a woman that's should be good enough.
It seems by all counts that the World Tennis Association knew of her unique situation and made a decision it was acceptable for her to compete with woman. Should Sarah be penalized for her medical issue she was born with? She has not made a conscious choice to gain a advantage in tennis. [quoteit] "There is no girl who can hit serves like that, not even Venus Williams," says Schlomo Tzoref, the coach of Julia Glushko. Does Sarah Gronert have a unfair advantage to compete with other women or are some upset because she is just really good?[/quoteit]
A person like Sarah Gronert born with both male and female genitalia is often labeled a hermaphrodite or a intersexed person. The Intersex Society of North America quotes the incidence of children being born as a hermaphrodite or intersex is 1 in 1,500 to 1 in 2,000 births.
The American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines indicate when a child is born with both male and female genitalia the infant should be referred to as "your baby" or "your child "not "it," "he," or "she." Some parents choose to have surgery to "correct" the genitalia at a very young age. Some parents and doctors choose to perform the surgery between 6-18 months old. Other parents choose not to have their children have any surgery at all. Sarah Gronert did not have surgery until she was 19 years old. No reason has been given as to why her parents waited so long or why she decided to have surgery at all.
You can view a recent pictures of Sarah Gronert here and another picture from what appears to be a earlier time here.