Why Nick Kyrgios believes 'Battle of the Sexes' with Aryna Sabalenka is actually good for tennis despite widespread criticism

Nick Kyrgios has called for more events like the Battle of the Sexes ahead of his clash against Aryna Sabalenka in Dubai. Amid widespread criticism, the Australian is set to clash with the WTA World No. 1 in the exhibition tennis match on Sunday, December 28.

The Battle of the Sexes first gained attention in 1973, when 29-year-old Billie Jean King defeated the 55-year-old Bobby Riggs in three sets. The match collected around 90 million views globally and paved the way for the growth of women's tennis.

However, the 2025 event has faced criticism since Aryna Sabalenka accepted the invitation to play against Nick Kyrgios. Many believe that the match holds no specific purpose, while Kyrgios' controversial past has not made it easy for the organizers to promote the event.

Speaking during the pre-match press conference at Atlantis The Royal in Dubai on December 27, the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up dismissed all the criticism, saying that the event "signifies the unity" in the sport, which has "too much division."

"In 10 or 15 years, I'll be proud of how I handled this," Kyrgios said. "I think it simply signifies unity in the sport. We need more events like this. There's too much division and too much fighting, not enough teamwork. Regardless of the outcome, this shows that we can do amazing things together in the sport."

Both Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios have been supportive of the event regardless of the criticism. The 2025 US Open champion said that she wanted to send a message to fellow women's tennis players by defeating the former World No. 13 in the 2025 Battle of the Sexes.

However, ahead of the event, Kyrgios stated that he was well-equipped to beat the world's top-ranked female tennis player and would bring "completely different energy."

Nick Kyrgios confident of beating Aryna Sabalenka in 2025 Battle of the Sexes

Only one of the last four Battle of the Sexes matches has been won by a male player. Novak Djokovic lost to Li Na in 2013, and Iga Swiatek defeated Hubert Hurkacz in 2021, proving that the sport is not all about physical strength.

Aryna Sabalenka has been in superb form of late and is likely to be equally matched against Nick Kyrgios, who has fallen to No. 671 in the men's singles rankings.

However, despite his struggles on the court, Kyrgios sounded confident and said that he was prepared to win the event in Dubai.

"I've seen some pretty scary opponents on my time," Kyrgios said in the pre-match press conference. "I'm well equipped and I know that Aryna has got some serious weapons at her disposal. But I have come here prepared and ready. If you know me, you know how unpredictable I am, but I'm as well prepared as I possibly could be. I feel like I'm going to win."

The 2025 Battle of the Sexes will be played on the indoor hardcourt at the Coca-Cola Center in Dubai. It will be a best-of-three sets match with a 10-point tiebreaker.

Edited by Hitesh Nigam