The WTA’s healthcare model is setting a new standard in women’s sports

What does it look like when an entire sport builds its health system for women, by women and with women’s lives in mind? The WTA may be the closest we’ve seen to that ideal.

As highlighted in this recent Forbes piece, the tour has steadily built one of the most comprehensive and forward-thinking health infrastructures in all of sports. At the center of it is a groundbreaking partnership with Hologic, a global women’s health leader, that goes far beyond surface-level sponsorship. Together, they’ve created a care model that treats athletes not just as competitors — but as women who can inspire the next generation to live healthy lifestyles through greater education and preventative care.

Some of the highlights:

• Annual physicals that include advanced DXA scans to assess bone density and body composition, hormone and fertility education and tailored medical consultations.
• On-site services at tournaments that prioritize women’s health needs typically overlooked in elite sports: breast and cervical screenings, mental health counseling.
• Year-round mental health access, with traveling specialists and virtual support.
• Player-driven policies shaped by athlete feedback, most notably from Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka.
• Community-facing impact, like the Global Women’s Health Fund launched with the Gates Foundation in support of with UNICEF to provide access to prenatal vitamins for women in low- and middle-income countries.

This isn’t just about performance; it’s about prevention, early detection and long-term wellbeing. Canadian doubles player Gaby Dabrowski experienced that firsthand when a routine WTA physical led to an early breast cancer diagnosis.

“If I had waited or ignored it, my story might have been very different,” she said. Instead, she received expedited care, wraparound support, and is now back competing — and advocating for other women to get screened.

Jessica Pegula described the experience of a WTA health visit as “like going to a world-class women’s clinic that’s built into your career.”

It’s that level of care — and intention — that sets the tour apart.

As Kathleen Stroia, the WTA’s longtime head of performance health, puts it: “We’re no longer adapting systems built for men. We’re leading with research, building with purpose, and showing what’s possible when women’s sports invests in women’s health.”

The WTA’s model doesn’t just support today’s athletes. It offers a roadmap for what women’s sports can be when health is treated as foundational, not optional.