Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios are due to play in one of the most controversial tennis matches in recent memory later this month, renewing the Battle of the Sexes rivalry.
However, there is a key difference.
In the past, the women playing this match have done so in an effort to provoke huge societal change, taking a huge burden upon their shoulders in order to carry the sport forward.
Aryna Sabalenka’s cause is not so noble, and Billie Jean King, the winner of arguably the most famous Battle of the Sexes match ever, has now delivered her thoughts on the matter.
Billie Jean King gives her verdict on the 2025 Battle of the Sexes
Speaking to the BBC ahead of the latest iteration of the Battle of the Sexes, the legendary pioneer did not hold back in her assessment of the match-up.
After all, King was keen to emphasise how important her victory over Bobby Riggs was for societal change. Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios are not fighting with the same stakes.
The 2025 Battle of the Sexes belittles women’s tennis – prove me wrong…
However, when asked if she felt like the clash undermined women’s tennis, the 82-year-old did add: “I don’t know. I’ll have to ask her [Sabalenka] after she plays, but we have never said we are better than men – ever.
“We have talked about our entertainment value – sometimes a woman’s match ends up being better than a guy’s match.
“I get upset when people say you think you are better. We have never said that, never.”
Sabalenka was asked about Serena Williams’ potential return to tennis recently, and how she’d rate her chances of beating the legendary figure.
Aryna Sabalenka has already proven why her match vs Nick Kyrgios undermines women’s tennis
Whilst King remains hesitant to offer up a harsh, scything verdict on the clash, it could be argued that Sabalenka has already proven why it undermines tennis before the match has even begun.
After all, her recent comments on the Jimmy Fallon show outline exactly how she views women’s tennis in relation to men’s, as she claimed: “I enjoy challenging myself and playing against a male athlete, against Nick, is a great challenge. We are taking tennis to the next level. The visibility it already has is incredible; many people will come to watch us. It’s a historic moment, but we do it for fun, to help tennis grow.
Battles of the Sexes 2025 rules
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“It will be a high-level match where I will beat him, 100%. You don’t understand how stressed he is. I can only win; I am very excited.”
It may only have been a flippant comment from the Belarusian, but the fact that she thinks Kyrgios can only lose has put women’s tennis below men’s before they’ve even started.
Naturally, the man is expected to win, but with the changes that have been made to the court dimensions and serve, her chances are massively boosted.
By saying that she cannot lose, the 27-year-old has established a hierarchy between the two tennis disciplines, effectively ranking the women below the men.
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