For the first time in decades, there will be an official “Battle of the Sexes” competition in tennis, marking the fourth one in history. The most famous one, of course, is the 1973 matchup between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, which King won.
On Dec. 28 in Dubai, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will face Nick Kyrgios in this rendition of the “Battle of the Sexes”. Early expectations include Sabalenka winning pretty heavy handedly as she’s coming off a U.S. Open win, her fourth major title. Kyrgios, on the other hand, hasn’t played in a professional tournament since the Miami Open in March. He’s only played a few matches here and there the past few seasons as he’s been dealing with injuries.
"I have a lot of respect for Nick and his talent, but make no mistake, I'm ready to bring my A-game," Sabalenka said, via BBC.
Despite not playing much in recent years, Kyrgios is ready for the challenge.
"When the world number one challenges you, you answer the call. I've got massive respect for Aryna; she's a powerhouse and a true champion," Kyrgios said, via BBC. "But I've never backed down from a challenge, and I'm not just here to play, I'm here to entertain. This is what I live for."
Kyrgios was under fire for controversial comments about Sabalenka
When the idea was originally brought up a couple months ago, Kyrgios made headlines for his controversial comments about Sabalenka and women’s tennis players in general. Here’s what he said.
“Sabalenka is awesome, she’s such a character… I think she’s the type of player who genuinely believes she’s going to win,” Kyrgios said. "She is not gonna beat me. Do you really think I have to try 100%? I’m gonna try. Because I’m representing the men's side. I’d say like 6-2 maybe.
“I’m not going to go there and say, 'Oh, she’s so good, I can’t play this.' That would make me look so bad. I’d imagine the internet would go crazy—go bananas. I mean, our serves, women can’t really return those," Kyrgios also claimed. "And then we can just chip and drop shot. I think I’m going to be okay. I’m going to go there, and I don’t want her to win. That’s for sure."
Sabalenka responded at the time in a U.S. Open press conference by saying “I'll definitely go out there and try my best to kick his a--.”
This should be an interesting match.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Aryna Sabalenka, Nick Kyrgios Set for a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ Match .