Nick Kyrgios has made the bold claim that he does not need “to try 100 per cent” to win the exhibition match with women’s world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Battle of the Sexes.
The pair will clash in a unique event in Hong Kong in January next year, with the exhibition match not played under normal tennis rules.
The details are yet to be confirmed, but the match will be played on a smaller court with no second serves permitted, while Kyrgios will be tasked with aiming his serve into a smaller box than Sabalenka.
But despite the new set of rules, Kyrgios is adamant he can cruise to victory over Sabalenka, and vowed to try his best after fellow player Alexander Bublik doubted whether he would deliver a maximum effort for the contest.
“Getting to know her, she’s definitely a character,” Kyrgios said on the First & Red podcast, while discussing the match, which has drawn comparisons to the 1973 match when 12-time grand slam champion Billie Jean King beat former world No.1 Bobby Riggs. “I’m super excited for that. I think she’s the type of player who genuinely thinks she’s going to win.
“She [Sabalenka] is not gonna beat me. Do you really think I have to try 100 per cent? 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.”
Despite his confidence, Kyrgios is lacking match sharpness, having played just five singles matches this year, with just one victory.
While the former Wimbledon finalist withdrew at SW19 and the US Open this year, citing knee, foot and wrist injuries.
While Sabalenka continues to dominate on the court, advancing to the semi-finals of all four grand slams this year, with three WTA titles in 2025.
“I mean, our serves, women can’t really return those,” Kyrgios claimed. “And then we can just chip and drop shot.
“You [Bublik] can drop shot, they would have no idea. 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.”
