Aryna Sabalenka vs Nick Kyrgios ‘Battle of the Sexes’ tennis guidelines and who will get benefit
Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios are set to go head-to-head in a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ tennis match in Dubai on Sunday, with rule changes giving one of them an advantage
Women’s world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is set to have a slight advantage as she prepares to face former men’s Grand Slam finalist Nick Kyrgios in a controversial ‘Battle of the Sexes’.
This type of exhibition tennis match, which will be played over the best of three sets, was first held in 1973 when Bobby Riggs faced off against Billie Jean King. Riggs won the initial match, but King pulled off an upset victory in a rematch later that year. In 1992, Jimmy Connors and Martina Navratilova also competed, with Connors emerging victorious.
Now, it’s the turn of Belarusian star Sabalenka and former Wimbledon finalist and Australian tennis badboy Kyrgios, although there will be some rule modifications compared to a standard match. When four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka takes on Kyrgios in Dubai at 3.45pm on December 28, her side of the court will be smaller than her opponent’s.
Event organisers Evolve have given Sabalenka this minor advantage, claiming that female players are nine per cent slower than male players, so her court will be 9% smaller, reports the Mirror.
Another significant rule change being introduced is that both players will be prohibited from taking second serves, which could take some of the power out of the game of the Australian men’s No. 671.
The row that ignited this explosive encounter began at the US Open earlier this year, when Kyrgios was quizzed about whether he could topple Sabalenka and cockily claimed he’d triumph without needing to give “100% effort.” Sabalenka hit back with a fiery retort, boldly stating she was prepared for “kicking a**.”
The management firm looking after both tennis stars then orchestrated Sunday’s divisive face-off.
The 27-year-old Belarusian is bursting with self-belief before the match, which has ignited fierce controversy throughout the tennis community, telling BBC Sport: “I am not putting myself at any risk.
“We’re there to have fun and bring great tennis. Whoever wins, wins. It’s so obvious that the man is biologically stronger than the woman, but it’s not about that.
“This event is only going to help bring women’s tennis to a higher level. It’s not going to be an easy match for Nick. I’m going to be there competing and showing women are strong, powerful and good entertainment. He’s in a lose-lose situation. I’m in a win-win situation.”
Kyrgios spoke about the single-serve limitation and believes it could seriously hamper him. He said: “You’re taking my strength completely out of it.
“Obviously, she has a great serve herself, but from the back of the court, things are a bit more even. The men’s game is heavily reliant and dominated by first serve percentage and holding serve quite easy. So if you take that away the game becomes a bit more of a grind from the baseline and I think that slightly goes in her favour.”
