Ahead of Aryna Sabalenka showdown, Nick Kyrgios says few men would face top woman
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Australia's Nick Kyrgios will face women's world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a "Battle of the Sexes" exhibition.
Follow topic:
BENGALURU – Nick Kyrgios believes that few male tennis players would accept the chance to face a top woman as the maverick Australian prepares to take on women's world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a "Battle of the Sexes" exhibition later in December.
While many consider the Dec 28 meeting between Kyrgios and four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka in Dubai as nothing more than entertainment, critics believe that it risks undermining the reputation of women's tennis.
Women's trailblazer Billie Jean King famously defeated the 55-year-old former Grand Slam champion Bobby Riggs in a similar showdown, and Kyrgios conceded that he was a bit nervous.
"I think my chances are really high. I'm very confident in my ability," he said with a smile during the World Tennis League exhibition tournament in the south Indian city of Bengaluru on Wednesday.
"It's going to be fun, but also I'm a bit nervous. I like doing things that are outside the box. Honestly, not many males in my position would have done that and taken the opportunity."
Unlike Riggs, Kyrgios is still an active player on the men's circuit even though he has played only five professional matches in 2025 because of injuries that have dogged his career.
The former world No. 13 had said in September that women cannot return men's serves and he would defeat Sabalenka without having to try 100 per cent, but added that the match would increase respect between the men's and women's tours.
Sabalenka said earlier in December that men were "biologically stronger" than women but her clash with the former Wimbledon finalist was not about that, and the event would only help bring women's tennis to a higher level.
Kyrgios, a major draw on and off the court with his natural talent and unapologetic personality, also said that he was unsure how the Dubai event would unfold.
"I don't know what's going to happen, we'll see," he added. "I've been in a lot of controversies in my whole career and this is another thing I get to experience."
Former British No. 1 Greg Rusedski, meanwhile, became the latest figure in tennis to called the "Battle of the Sexes" a gimmick.
“Billie Jean was fighting for something so important and she was really the catalyst for everything that’s happened in the women’s game to date,” he said to the Press Association on Dec 17.
“I just don’t know what it (the Kyrgios-Sabalenka clash) stands for. The TV networks have picked it up, but what is the crowd going to be like in the arena? For me, it will be a success if it brings your non-tennis fans to the sport and gets more people playing tennis.” REUTERS
