Iga Swiatek revealed she did not watch the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios and declared that “there doesn’t need to be any competition” between women and men in tennis.
Kyrgios defeated Sabalenka 6-3, 6-3 in an exhibition match played with special rules in Dubai on December 28. Both players were limited to using one serve, while Sabalenka’s side of the court was 9% smaller than Kyrgios’.
It was the the fourth match in tennis history labelled a ‘Battle of the Sexes’, with two of them having featured former American player Bobby Riggs in 1973.
Riggs, a Wimbledon and US Open champion, was 55 when he played two legends of women’s tennis: Margaret Court and Billie Jean King.
He crushed a 30-year-old Court 6-2, 6-1 in May 1973 before losing 4-6, 3-6, 3-6 to a 29-year-old King four months later in what was by far the most famous ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match.
In 1992, 40-year-old Jimmy Connors defeated a 35-year-old Martina Navratilova 7-5, 6-2 in a third ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match played under hybrid rules.
What did Iga Swiatek say about the latest ‘Battle of the Sexes’?
During a Team Poland press conference at the United Cup, Swiatek was asked if she had watched Sabalenka and Kyrgios’ contest and whether she had any thoughts on it.
“No, I haven’t watched, because I don’t watch stuff like that. I think for sure it attracted, like, a lot of attention,” said the world No 2.
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“It was an entertainment, but I wouldn’t say that had anything to do with, like, social change or any important topics. I think the name was just the same as the one from the Billie Jean King match in ’73. That’s it.
“There were no more similarities because I feel like women’s tennis stands on its own right now. We have so many great athletes and great stories to present, we don’t necessarily need to, like, compare to men’s tennis. It’s a totally different story.
“I think, honestly, yeah, there doesn’t need to be any competition. I think actually events like this one, United Cup, brings tennis all together, and WTA fans and ATP fans can watch this event with so much excitement.
“Seeing also singles players that usually don’t have space to play mixed doubles together, playing these kind of matches, I think this is actually what makes our sport much more interesting and better.
“So yeah, I haven’t watched the match. I only know about how it looked like. But I think, yeah, it was for sure nice entertainment and an exho match between these two.”
Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion, will begin her 2026 season at the United Cup.
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