Nick Kyrgios v Aryna Sabalenka: Everything we know…

Nick Kyrgios v Aryna Sabalenka: Everything we know about ‘Battle of the Sexes’ tennis exhibition

Aryna Sabalenka has confirmed that she is set to face Nick Kyrgios in an exhibition match in a modern-day tennis ‘Battle of the Sexes’.

Kyrgios claimed that he could beat Sabalenka, the women’s World No 1 and three-time grand slam champion, suggesting that he would not need to try “100 per cent” to win.

In response, Sabalenka said she will be determined to “kick his ass” if the match goes ahead.

In the original 1973 ‘Battle of the Sexes’, Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs, with King’s victory in Houston going down as one of the most famous matches of all time.

Sabalenka has been the best player in the world over the last couple of seasons and won her fourth grand slam title by beating Amanda Anisimova in the US Open final.

When could the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ take place?

A date and location for the Sabalenka v Kyrgios match has not been confirmed, with Sabalenka sounding unsure when asked about the exhibition during the US Open.

There have been reports that it could take place in Hong Kong in January, with a date at some point in the build-up to the Australian Open later that month a possibility.

“We are not sure about the place,” Sabalenka said. “But definitely if we're going to bring it, we're going to bring it to somewhere where it's going to be a lot of people watching, and we're gonna put a lot of pressure on Nick.”

What else did Aryna Sabalenka say?

“I think it's cool idea, you know. I think it's gonna be spectacular to watch. It's going to be fun, especially against someone like Nick.

“Like he said in another interview, that I genuinely think that I'm going to win, and I'll definitely go out there, and I'll try my best to kick his ass.”

What did Nick Kyrgios say about the match?

Kyrgios has played just five matches this season due to injury and pulled out of Wimbledon and the US Open. He is targeting a return at the Australian Open.

“Getting to know her, she’s definitely a character,” Kyrgios said. “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.

“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.”

Nick Kyrgios has struggled with injuries since reaching the Wimbledon final and US Open quarter-final in 2023 (Getty)

What happened in the 1973 ‘Battle of the Sexes’?

Billie Jean King, the 12-time grand slam champion, reluctantly agreed to take on Bobby Riggs, a self-proclaimed “male chauvinist pig”, after the thrashed Margaret Court in a match later known as the ‘Mother’s Day Massacre’.

King was 29 and the top women’s player in the world when she faced Riggs, the former No 1 ranked men’s who, at the age of 55, boasted he could beat any women’s player.

In what remains the most-watched tennis match of all time, with 30,000 people in attendance in Houston and an estimated 90 million watching around the world, King defeated Riggs in straight-sets. It created a moment that helped power the gathering force of the women’s rights movement in the United States.