By Bhagya Ayyavoo
BENGALURU, Dec 17 (Reuters) – Nick Kyrgios believes few male players would accept the chance to face a top woman as the maverick Australian prepares to take on women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition later this month.
While many consider the December 28 meeting between Kyrgios and four-times Grand Slam champion Sabalenka in Dubai as nothing more than entertainment, critics believe 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 he was a bit nervous.
“I think my chances are really high. I’m very confident in my ability,” Kyrgios 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 number 13 had said in September that women cannot return men’s serves and he would defeat Sabalenka without having to try 100% but added the match would increase respect between the men’s and women’s tours.
Sabalenka said this month 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, said 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.”
(Reporting by Bhagya Ayyavoo in Bengaluru; Writing by Shrivathsa Sridhar; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
