{"id":1450,"date":"2025-12-14T17:30:21","date_gmt":"2025-12-14T17:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/?p=1450"},"modified":"2025-12-14T17:30:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-14T17:30:21","slug":"hate-aryna-sabalenka-is-getting-for-battle-of-the-sexes-stems-from-a-fear-that-may-not-become-a-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/?p=1450","title":{"rendered":"Hate Aryna Sabalenka is getting for \u2018Battle of the Sexes\u2019 stems from a fear that may not become a reality"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is one big fear rippling through women\u2019s tennis when the increasingly heated debate over the upcoming \u2018Battle of the Sexes\u2019 clash between Aryna Sabalenka<\/a> and Nick Kyrgios<\/a> is discussed \u2013 but it may never become a reality.<\/p>\n

World No 1 Sabalenka will face 2022 Wimbledon champion Kyrgios<\/a> in a contest that has sparked a huge amount of interest since it was announced.<\/p>\n

In a bid to neutralise some of the physical advantages Kyrgios would have, both players will only have one serve per point and Sabalenka will play on a slightly smaller court.<\/p>\n

It will be a fascinating contest and it\u2019s safe to assume that even its biggest critics will be watching, with the concern around the match focused on a potential heavy defeat for Sabalenka.<\/p>\n

A fully fit Kyrgios would expect to see off his opponent pretty comfortably if they were contesting the match in conventional conditions, but the changes that have been made to balance the playing field are designed to give Sabalenka a chance to compete.<\/p>\n

More Tennis News<\/h2>\n

Aryna Sabalenka has put herself in the line of fire by accepting \u2018Battle of the Sexes\u2019 showdown<\/a><\/p>\n

Former world No 5 compares Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff to her own era in \u2018less diverse\u2019 verdict<\/a><\/p>\n

So if the world\u2019s best female player is well beaten by an opponent who has been unable to play too many competitive matches due to injury over the last three years, it would not be a good look for the women\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

Of course, there is a strong chance that Sabalenka will give a less-than-fully fit rival a real match and if she could pull off a famous victory, this showpiece contest would be a good moment for the women\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

The interest the \u2018Battle of the Sexes\u2019 match will generate has to be good for tennis as it will get eyes on the sport at a time of the year when there are very few competitive tournaments for fans to watch, but the Dubai battle continues to attract plenty of negativity.<\/p>\n

Respected broadcaster Catherine Whittaker<\/a> has been among the most outspoken opponents of the Sabalanka vs Kyrgios match, as she offered up these strong views on The Tennis Podcast.<\/p>\n

\u201cNick Kyrgios is a man who stands for something and that\u2019s not an accident. He is choosing to stand for and represent misogyny,\u201d said Whittaker.<\/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

Sabalenka hit out at the controversy around this match, as she insisted the contest will be a positive showcase for the women\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not going to be an easy match for Nick,\u201d Sabalenka said. \u201cI\u2019m going to be there competing and showing women are strong, powerful and good entertainment. He\u2019s in a lose-lose situation. I\u2019m in a win-win situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not putting myself at any risk. We\u2019re there to have fun and bring great tennis. Whoever wins, wins. It\u2019s so obvious that the man is biologically stronger than the woman, but it\u2019s not about that. This event is only going to help bring women\u2019s tennis to a higher level.\u201d<\/p>\n

The world will be watching on December 28 and Sabalenka will be doing all she can to confirm her power on a tennis court can be a tough test for a big hitter like Kyrgios.<\/p>\n

The post Hate Aryna Sabalenka is getting for \u2018Battle of the Sexes\u2019 stems from a fear that may not become a reality<\/a> appeared first on Tennis365<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is one big fear rippling through women\u2019s tennis when the increasingly heated debate over the upcoming \u2018Battle of the Sexes\u2019 clash between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios is discussed \u2013 but it may never become a reality. World No 1 Sabalenka will face 2022 Wimbledon champion Kyrgios in a contest that has sparked a […]<\/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-1450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1450","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=1450"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1450\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}