Far from being able to repeat the historic weight of the confrontation between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King, in 1973, in the clash known as the “Battle of the Sexes”, Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka held this Sunday (28) a new duel between two great tennis players from the men’s and women’s circuits.
Held in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, a place that attracted celebrities and personalities from other sports, such as Brazilians Ronaldo and Kaká, the game ended with the Australian winning by 2 sets to 0, with a double 6/3.
“To be honest, it was a difficult game. She’s a multiple champion, a great competitor. I didn’t know how it would go, but she came here and broke my serve a few times. She put pressure. It was a great show with a great player like Aryna,” said Kyrgios.
The Belarusian is now hoping for a rematch. “I felt really good, it was cool to see him suffering on the court, it was very close. I feel like, next time, I’ll know tactically where his strengths and weaknesses are. So, I think I have a chance. I love rematches.”
Despite the promotion made by the organizers, the duel had little in common with the victory of the legendary Billie Jean King over Bobby Riggs in 1973.
“It’s not the same thing,” King declared in an interview with the BBC.
“In 1973, I had to win in the name of social change. There were many reasons to win that duel,” added the former world number 1.
The women’s circuit, which was taking its first steps at the time, sought to assert its legitimacy in the midst of a scenario with much lower prizes for players compared to men’s tennis.
“It was a very politicized game. That’s not the case now”, reiterated the American, who beat Riggs by 3 sets to 0 (6-4, 6-3 and 6-3) in Houston, in front of an audience of 30 thousand people, in addition to the millions of viewers that the duel attracted on TV.
Before Sunday’s duel, Sabalenka stated that her goal was “to have fun and put this guy in an uncomfortable position.”
In 2025 alone, she accumulated more than US$15 million (R$83 million) in tournament prizes, according to the WTA.
“I imagine that, for both of us, the objective is to make this sport grow,” said Kyrgios. “The first thing I want is for people to see tennis,” added the Australian.
Stars and stars with a history in world tennis, however, questioned the holding of the duel. “What can women’s tennis take away from this match?” asked Australian Rennae Stubbs, a former doubles specialist.
“The only reason this game is happening is because Evolve [agência que cuida dos interesses de Kyrgios e Sabalenka] decided to make a little money,” the former doubles number 1 said on her podcast.
To achieve balance, the duel was played in the best of three sets and the rules were adjusted. Both players had a single serve, and Sabalenka’s side of the court had a surface area 9% smaller than Kyrgios’ half.
“If we played on a full court, with normal rules, it would be very difficult to compete against men,” Sabalenka declared before the match.
“But, in these conditions, I feel that perhaps I have more options to fight,” he added.
