Ahead of their version of the “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition match later this month, both Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios are not shying away from the media attention, positive or negative, that the event has generated. Their latest appearance was on the infamous Piers Morgan show, which is known more for drama than actual journalism.
If Sabalenka and Kyrgios’ goal was to dominate headlines during the tennis off-season, they have certainly succeeded. Their interview sparked a wave of controversy, with outspoken comments on a multitude of topics.
Sabalenka States Her Position
None of the remarks were louder than the World No.1’s comments when Piers Morgan asked her about the participation of transgender athletes in the WTA. Sabalenka made it clear that she believes the practice is unfair to women competing on Tour:
“That’s a tricky question. I have nothing against them. But I feel like they still got a huge advantage over the women and I think it’s not fair on women to face basically biological men. It’s not fair to a woman who has been working her whole life to reach her limit and then she has to face a man, who is biologically much stronger, so for me I don’t agree with this kind of stuff in sport.”
When Morgan followed up by asking Kyrgios for his stance, he aligned with Sabalenka in a brief response:
“I feel the exact same way, to be honest. I’ve got nothing to add. She hit the nail on the head.”
Divided Reactions Follow
Sabalenka is not the first WTA World No.1 to express this position. Former World No.1 Martina Navratilova has been vocal for years about trans athletes competing in tennis and across sports. On the opposite side, original “Battle of the Sexes” icon Billie Jean King has emphasized that discrimination has no place in sport, stating that “people have no idea how hard it is for trans people.”
Sabalenka’s comments come after the WTA introduced its Gender Participation Policy, which allows transgender women to compete if they meet several conditions, including a minimum four-year gender identity declaration and consistently reduced testosterone levels, among other testing requirements. While public opinion remains deeply divided, Sabalenka has made her position unequivocally clear.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images