Aryna Sabalenka is confident she will be able to match Nick Kyrgios in their controversial Battle of the Sexes clash, but former world No 1 Garbine Muguruza has sent a stark warning when it comes to women facing men.
The exhibition will be staged on December 28 in Dubai and it has received a lot of attention in recent weeks with many feeling it will be damaging to women’s sport, but Sabalenka begs to differ.
“I don’t agree,” the four-time Grand Slam winner told BBC Sport. “I am not putting myself at any risk. We’re there to have fun and bring great tennis. Whoever wins, wins.”
She added: “It’s so obvious that the man is biologically stronger than the woman, but it’s not about that.
“This event is only going to help bring women’s tennis to a higher level.”
Sabalenka is currently ranked No 1 while Kyrgios is outside the top 600 on the ATP Rankings and will likely be rusty as he has played very little tennis in recent years.
The best-of-three sets contest will also not be played under normal tennis rules as Sabalenka’s side of the court will be nine per cent smaller, and each player will be limited to one serve.
While Sabalenka is confident about her chances, two-time Grand Slam winner Muguruza has given her honest assessment about facing male tennis players.
In an interview on El Partidazo de COPE, the Spaniard said: “I’ve had so many [male] hitting partners, and every time I had to play a practice set against them, I’d end up super frustrated.
“How can it be that I can’t win a set against someone who isn’t even a professional player, someone who’s just a sparring partner?”
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The 2017 Wimbledon champion added: “The difference is huge. It’s not just power – physically… the muscles, the stamina a man has to play a match… There are so many things. I have two brothers and I’ve never beaten them.
“A guy who is ranked 1,000 in the world or doesn’t even have a ranking could be far superior to a top-10 player on the WTA circuit. When I was at my best level, being world No 1, I wouldn’t have even beaten a junior.”
Sabalenka and Kyrgios insist the match will help women’s tennis, just like the original Battle of the Sexes encounter between the great Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in 1973.
Muguruza added: “It’s more of a show — it has nothing to do with the Battle of the Sexes, with what Billie Jean King versus Bobby Riggs meant. That was incredible.
“This is entertainment. I think they’ll play seriously, but the idea is for it to be a show and for the fans to have a good time.”
The post Former WTA No 1 makes honest confession – ‘An unranked man can be far superior to a woman in top 10’ appeared first on Tennis365.
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