Nick Kyrgios Discloses Plan To Play 'Battle Of Sexes' Match Against Aryna Sabalenka
NewsTuesday, 08 July 2025 at 13:27
One of the most notable concepts in tennis history is set to be revived after Nick Kyrgios's recent comments.
The Battle of the Sexes consisted of three matches played between 1973 and 1992. In May 1973, Bobby Riggs defeated Margaret Court 6-2, 6-1, and mocked female players afterward before asking Billie Jean King to accept a lucrative offer to play against him.
Jean King's match against Riggs in September of the same year was a pivotal moment for women's tennis. Her 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 win was watched by an estimated 90 million people worldwide and is considered by many to be the start of female tennis players being taken seriously.
19 years later, on September 25th, 1992, Jimmy Connors defeated Martina Navratilova 7-5, 6-2. While the 55-year-old Riggs was 26 years older than Jean King, the gap between Connors and Navratilova is just four years.
Speaking to Talksport, Kyrgios revealed he and Sabalenka have spoken about playing a Battle of the Sexes match in Hong Kong later this year, with rule changes to give the Belarusian a better chance.
"Sabalenka and I are thinking about doing a battle of the sexes later in the year. Where the court is going to be slightly smaller [at Sabalenka's end], for me with one serve. I'm playing on a slightly smaller court than the usual tennis court."
Although Kyrgios believes he will defeat the WTA world No. 1, he admitted to being nervous about the match because of how well Sabalenka has played in the last 12 months and his repeated injury issues during the last few years.
"I'm really nervous about it, to be honest, she's in her absolute prime right now. And she's getting the wooden legs [version] of me - but I'm still feeling confident that I can get her. I think I've still got enough variation and talent in the tank to take Sabalenka, but she's fierce and I'm feeling nerves right now."
Kyrgios is known for wanting to find ways to innovate tennis and attract new fans. Despite repeatedly saying in the past that he does not care about the sport, it seems evident he wants it to thrive.
The Australian's constant injury issues mean there is almost no chance of him ever winning a Grand Slam singles title. However, he can still be in the spotlight and put tennis in the news with concepts like the match with Sabalenka.
Maria Sharapova was recently angered by a headline focusing on Sabalenka training with male players rather than her accomplishments. It will be interesting to watch the reaction of other players to Kyrgios and Sabalenka playing if the match does happen.
Proponents will argue that it promotes tennis and that seeing Sabalenka compete against an ATP player raises the WTA Tour's profile. Those who do not like the idea will say women's tennis credibility would be harmed if Sabalenka loses despite the rules being altered in her favor.
Kyrgios already made headlines by saying that ATP world No. 1 Jannik Sinner will have a more successful career than Carlos Alcaraz because the Spaniard likes women too much.
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