Aryna Sabelenka promises complete confidence. Nick Kyrgios offers uncertainty.
In that sense, it will be business as usual when Sabalenka takes on Kyrgios in an updated “Battle of the Sexes” match on Sunday in Dubai.
Once the warm-ups are over, anything will be allowed.
“This event is really unpredictable,” Sabalenka, 27, said Saturday. “I don’t know what to expect and that’s what I like because that’s the feeling you’re looking for when you play sports.”
Kyrgios promises similar chaos, which is hardly a surprise given his personality.
“If you know me, you know how unpredictable I am, but I’m as prepared as possible,” Kyrgios, 30, said. “I feel like I’m going to win.”
In the match between good friends, Sabalenka is coming off a year in which the Belarusian won her second consecutive US Open women’s title and the fourth Grand Slam title of her career. Kyrgios is trying to recover from injuries that limited him to five singles matches in 2025.
More than focusing on the woman versus man aspect of the match, the two are trying to promote the essential element of their sport.
“It’s a great workout for me and a great message for the girls. I hope they see how strong and resilient I am playing against a guy,” Sabalenka said.
The match will also serve as preparation for Kyrgios’ return from ankle and knee problems in recent years. The Australian native is expected to play at the upcoming Brisbane International as a wild card.
Formerly world No. 13 in 2016, Kyrgios begins the new season ranked 673rd. Sabalenka is No. 1 in the women’s rankings.
“I haven’t won a Grand Slam title but I have been to a Grand Slam final,” said Kyrgios, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the 2022 Wimbledon final. “It’s something completely different, I don’t know how my body or my mind will react.
“It’s a completely different energy. I’m going to bring something different, that’s for sure. My strength has always been my unpredictability, even on the men’s circuit.”
A battle of the sexes style match has been contested three times in the past. There were two in 1973 when Bobby Riggs beat Margaret Court 6-2, 6-1 and Billie Jean King dominated Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. In 1992, Jimmy Connors beat Martina Navratilova 7-6, 6-2.
In the Dubai match, Sabalenka’s side of the court will be 9% smaller, with both players limited to one serve.
–Field level media
