Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios are due to face off in a highly-publicised exhibition match on December 28, a contest organisers have framed as a modern-day nod to the iconic 1973 \u2018Battles of the Sexes.\u2019<\/p>\n
The event, which will be held at the Coca-Cola Arena, has already generated intense discussion across the sporting world, with players, legends, and commentators divided on whether the clash will celebrate \u2013 or retract \u2013 progress.<\/p>\n
The original \u2018Battle of the Sexes\u2019 saw Billie Jean King prevail 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 over the 55-year-old Bobby Riggs, a victory which proved to be a major step forward for women\u2019s tennis.<\/p>\n
More than half a century on, comparisons to that encounter have been met with much scepticism.<\/p>\n
Sabalenka<\/a> enters the exhibition at the peak of her powers, having finished the season as the US Open champion and the year-end No 1.<\/p>\n The Belarusian dismissed concerns over the potential negative symbolism of such an event.<\/p>\n \u201cI am not putting myself at any risk,\u201d she stated to BBC Sport.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re there to have fun and bring great tennis. Whoever wins, wins.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so obvious that the man is biologically stronger than the woman, but it\u2019s not about that.<\/p>\n \u201cThis event is only going to help bring women\u2019s tennis to a higher level.\u201d<\/p>\n The Belarusian believes that, despite any biological differences, she has a realistic chance of beating Kyrgios during the Dubai showdown \u2013 with little pressure on her.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not going to be an easy match for Nick,\u201d Sabalenka later surmised.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to be there competing and showing women are strong, powerful and good entertainment.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s in a lose-lose situation. I\u2019m in a win-win situation.\u201d<\/p>\n If Sabalenka is the embodiment of consistency, Kyrgios is the exact antithesis of exactly that \u2013 especially in 2025.<\/p>\n The unpredictable showman played just five singles matches this season, last being seen during his second-round match against Karen Khachanov at the Miami Open.<\/p>\n Kyrgios has struggled with wrist issues for over 24 months, despite undergoing reconstructive wrist surgery in late 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cBy the way, all the negative comments towards the Battle of the Sexes are doing nothing but giving it more attention,\u201d he argued on an Instagram post.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, Aryna will go down as one of the greatest players to play this game.<\/p>\n \u201cI will have entertained crowds around the world. We are 2 humans who are good friends who want to put on a show and get more eyes on tennis.<\/p>\n \u201cSit back and enjoy the show. We both love the challenge and are going into this with no real experience. No one cares what you have to say.\u201d<\/p>\n The 2022 Wimbledon champion is currently ranked as the world No 672.<\/p>\n Whilst King\u2019s 1973 victory over Riggs went well beyond tennis, the American argued that the context could not be more different.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only similarity is that one is a boy and one is a girl. That\u2019s it,\u201d she told BBC Sport<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything else, no. Ours was about social change; culturally, where we were in 1973. This one is not.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope it\u2019s a great match \u2013 I want Sabalenka, obviously, to win \u2013 but it\u2019s just not the same.\u201d<\/p>\n Former world No 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion Muguruza, who retired in April 2024, echoed a similar sentiment to that of the American.<\/p>\n \u201cA guy who is ranked 1,000 in the world or doesn\u2019t even have a ranking could be far superior to a top-10 player on the WTA circuit,\u201d Muguruza said to Spanish outlet Cope.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was at my best level, being world No 1, I wouldn\u2019t have even beaten a junior.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s more of a show \u2014 it has nothing to do with the Battle of the Sexes, with what Billie Jean King versus Bobby Riggs meant. That was incredible.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is entertainment. I think they\u2019ll play seriously, but the idea is for it to be a show and for the fans to have a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n Jannik Sinner claims a big award as his big rival Carlos Alcaraz is snubbed again<\/a><\/p>\n Should Coco Gauff be disappointed with her 2025 season? Former world No 1 shares opinion<\/a><\/p>\n Whilst many have criticised the Battle of the Sexes sequel for the biological differences and lack of the same social meaning that was present in 1973, Whittaker, a host of The Tennis Podcast, went even further.<\/p>\n The British host made a pointed critique of Kyrgios, himself, after the Australian admitted to assaulting his ex-girlfriend in 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cNick Kyrgios is a man that stands for something and that\u2019s not an accident. He is choosing to stand for and represent misogyny,\u201d analysed Whittaker on the popular podcast.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is what Nick Kyrgios will be representing and fighting for in the self-titled Battle of the Sexes. A validation of his belittling of women\u2019s tennis and the way he perceives women and women\u2019s sport of being lesser purely on the basis of brute power.<\/p>\n \u201cThis event is a dog whistle. It feels like a dog whistle publicity stunt. A symbol of the populist Trumpian age of do-whistles and division and stupidity.\u201d<\/p>\n Former tennis player and coach Rasheed believes Sabalenka will only harm herself and other female athletes by participating in the event, even if she is victorious over the Australian.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not a fan of it, to be honest,\u201d Rasheed said to ABC Sports.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s a lose-lose for the women\u2019s side \u2026 I actually think it\u2019s quite insulting, to be perfectly honest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t see where there\u2019s one minute, one second of win for the number one player in the world.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you are looking after Sabalenka commercially, is this a place where you want to be?\u201d<\/p>\n The post Battle of the Sexes: Who said what? The controversial takes on the \u2018show\u2019<\/a> appeared first on Tennis365<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios are due to face off in a highly-publicised exhibition match on December 28, a contest organisers have framed as a modern-day nod to the iconic 1973 \u2018Battles of the Sexes.\u2019 The event, which will be held at the Coca-Cola Arena, has already generated intense discussion across the sporting world, with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1446\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Nick Kyrgios<\/h3>\n
Billie Jean King<\/h3>\n
Garbine Muguruza<\/h3>\n
Latest Tennis News<\/h2>\n
Catherine Whittaker:<\/h3>\n
Roger Rasheed<\/h3>\n