Aryna Sabalenka insists her exhibition match against Nick Kyrgios in Dubai will be "win-win" for her – despite a decidely mixed reaction to the announcement.
The WTA world No 1 will take on Kyrgios on December 28 at Coca-Cola Arena in a showdown dubbed the "Battle of the Sexes", a nod to the era-defining clash between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs back in 1973.
Asked what she hoped to achieve, Sabalenka told The National: “I just want to play my best tennis and put him in a very uncomfortable situation, because for him it's lose-lose, you know?
“If you win against the girl, it's like, ‘Oh yeah, congrats, well done’. If you lose against the girl, then it's, you know, ‘Come on, Nick!’
“And for me, it's win-win. If I win, that's like, OK, we have something to talk about. And if I lose, I mean, I just hope that I'm not going to lose 6-0. And if I lose, that it's a tight battle, and I just want to force him to go crazy on court.”
When King agreed to take on Riggs, a self-proclaimed chauvinist aged 55 at the time, she was fighting for gender equality in the sport, and hoping to make a statement within the wider women’s liberation movement.
This iteration of the man versus woman format, featuring Kyrgios and Sabalenka, has unclear stakes and according to the press release announcing the event, is meant to “celebrate elite performance, sportsmanship, and an unforgettable spectacle”.
The divided reaction to news of the exhibition clash includes many who question its purpose and worry about it fuelling sexist attitudes towards the women’s game.
“I totally understand the responsibility of this match that I, in a way, put on my shoulders,” Sabalenka said following her win over Jessica Pegula in Riyadh at the WTA Finals.
“And that's why I'll go out there, and there's no jokes. I'll play full. And hopefully, I can just keep up with Billie Jean and probably help women’s tennis to get better conditions.”
Sabalenka has had multiple practice sessions with players of the ATP tour throughout the season, including ones with Andrey Rublev, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.
She most recently hit with Djokovic in Greece post-US Open and said she hopes to have the support of the 24-time grand slam champion when she faces Kyrgios next month.
“I really hope to bring him into my box and be my coach just to put an extra pressure on Nick,” said Sabalenka of Djokovic.
“I already told Nick, like, ‘Nick, you know what, Novak is really helping me, with the tactics and everything’. Which his reply was like, ‘Well, he always struggled with me’. But I was like, ‘But he always won. So, you know what? Probably you're going to struggle against me as well’.
“So I really hope that I'll be able to pull out my best tennis and just put Nick in a very uncomfortable situation.”
Kyrgios hit a career-high No 13 in the world in 2016 and was a finalist at Wimbledon in 2022. He has struggled with injuries over the past few years and had wrist reconstruction surgery in September 2023 that has limited him to playing just five competitive matches since.
The Australian’s last on-court appearance was a second-round exit in Miami in March. Sabalenka feels she has a bigger chance against a player like Kyrgios, who hasn’t been active on tour, compared to another ATP star with matches under his belt.
“First of all, it's going to be a great show. And I feel like Nick is a showman in a way. I'm happy with my opponent,” said the four-time grand slam champion.
“And I feel like if I would play against someone who's been playing on tour, has matches in his back, I would probably, not have that much of a chance. And against Nick, I feel like there is something that I can keep up with.”
