Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios have both defended their controversial Battle of the Sexes match and said they failed to understand why an exhibition aimed at showcasing tennis drew so much negativity from across the world.
Kyrgios defeated the top-ranked women’s player 6-3, 6-3 in Dubai on Monday morning (AEDT) despite several rule tweaks designed to level the playing field.
Critics had warned that the match, a nod to the 1973 original Battle of the Sexes in which women’s trailblazer Billie Jean King beat then 55-year-old former grand slam winner Bobby Riggs, risked trivialising the women’s game.
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King said the latest encounter lacked the stakes of her match while others, including former doubles world number one Rennae Stubbs, said the event was a publicity stunt.
But after the match, the players involved were stunned by the reaction.
Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios embrace after the match Getty
“I honestly don’t understand how people were able to find something negative in this event,” Sabalenka told reporters.
“I think for the WTA, I just showed that I was playing great tennis.
“It was an entertaining match … it wasn’t like 6-0 6-0. It was a great fight, it was interesting to watch and it brought more eyes on tennis.
“Legends were watching, pretty big people were messaging me, wishing me all the best and telling me that they’re going to be watching from all different areas of life.
“The idea behind it is to help our sport grow and show tennis from a different side, that tennis events can be fun and we can make it almost as big as grand slam matches.”
The Aussie tennis summer kicks off with the 2026 United Cup from Friday, January 2. Watch it live and free on Nine and 9Now.
Kyrgios, who was once the world No.13 but tumbled to No.671 after injuries hampered his career over the last few years, pointed to how competitive Sabalenka was.
“Let me just remind you that I’m one of 16 people that have ever beaten the ‘Big Four’ – Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafa Nadal have all lost to me,” the brash Australian star said after the straight-sets win.
Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios during the Battle of the Sexes match Getty
“She just proved she can go out there and compete against someone that’s beaten the greatest of all time. There’s nothing but positive that can be taken away from this.
“Everyone that was negative watched. That’s the funny thing about it as well, like this has been the most talked about event probably in sport in the last six months if we look at how many interactions we had on social media, in the news.
“I’m sure the next time we do it, if I’m a part of it and if she’s a part of it, it’ll be a cultural movement that will happen more often, and I think it’s a step in the right direction.”
Both players will now turn their attention to the upcoming Australian Open.