"Very disappointing from Aryna Sabalenka": Fans react in horror as Kyrgios vs Belarusian's 'Battle of Sexes' in Dubai nears with confirmed date

Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios' 'Battle of the Sexes' has been officially scheduled to take place on Sunday, December 28 in Dubai. However, the development prompted several fans to ridicule the upcoming exhibition match, with some accusing the reigning WTA No. 1 of 'sportswashing' the controversial Kyrgios.

On Tuesday, November 4, the exhibition match, backed by former No. 1 Naomi Osaka's sports agency, Evolve, was confirmed. It is set to be hosted by the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai's City Walk area, with the arena boasting a 17,000-strong crowd capacity.

It didn't take long for tennis fans on X (formerly Twitter) to react to the official confirmation of the modern edition of the 'Battle of the Sexes', with the previous edition being contested by Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs way back in 1973, which King won in straight sets.

Some fans, bringing up Nick Kyrgios' common assault case, which culminated with the Australian escaping conviction despite pleading guilty in 2023 for assaulting ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari in 2021, slammed Aryna Sabalenka for agreeing to be a part of the match.

"Very disappointing from Aryna... making this abuser relevant again," one fan wrote. "An abuser vs dumbass aryna in a country that has modern slavery and thousands of other problems…… get the f**k out of my face," added another. "Not only giving platform to someone like Nick K is a case of poor taste of Aryna, it is also a huge setback to women's sport as no matter who wins people will only criticise HER. She should've known better as the current world no.1," another fan chimed in. "What’s this going to prove. The women’s world number one versus a man who doesn’t even have a ranking these days?," asked one. "Nauseating," another added. "A man pleaded guilty to assault of ex-gf playing against the female world no.1 in a "Battle of the Sexes" in Dubai. Sounds bad enough right? And then you rmb they are both rep by the agency founded by a former female world no.1 💀 Women's tennis does not deserve this," weighed in yet another fan.

"I have a lot of respect for Nick Kyrgios and his talent, but..." - Aryna Sabalenka sends word of caution to Australian ahead of 'Battle of the Sexes'

Aryna Sabalenka interacts with the media at the 2025 WTA Finals (Source: Getty)

Aryna Sabalenka has made it clear that she will not hold back when she faces Nick Kyrgios in the 'Battle of the Sexes' in December despite laying bare her respect for the Australian and his on-court abilities.

"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, as reported by the BBC.

Going on to speak highly of Billie Jean King, the winner of the original edition of the match, the Belarusian also expressed pride over her participation in a modern-day version of the iconic contest.

"I have so much respect for Billie Jean King and what she has done for the women's game. I'm proud to represent women's tennis and to be part of this modern take of the iconic 'Battle of the Sexes' match," she added.

Right now, Aryna Sabalenka is challenging for the WTA Finals title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios hasn't played competitively since a first-round doubles loss alongside ATP veteran Gael Monfils at this year's Mubadala Citi DC Open.

Edited by Sudipto Pati