Tennis star Iga Swiatek did not mince words when talking about the controversial “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios.
While attending a press conference before the United Cup in Australia on Friday, January 2, the six-time Grand Slam champion said the questionable match was not necessary because “women’s tennis stands on its own,” adding that the match — played on December 28 in Dubai — didn’t have anything to do with “social change or any important topics.”
“I think the name was just the same as the one from the Billie Jean King match in ’73. That’s it,” Swiatek, 24, said.
She continued: “There were no more similarities because I feel like women’s tennis stands on its own right now. We have so many great athletes and great stories to present, we don’t necessarily need to, like, compare to men’s tennis. It’s a totally different story.”
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Swiatek said that events like the United Cup (a mixed competition event featuring teams from 18 countries) “brings tennis all together” more so than the “Battle of the Sexes” event.
“WTA fans and ATP fans can watch this event with so much excitement,” she said. “Seeing also singles players that usually don’t have space to play mixed doubles together, playing these kinds of matches, I think this is actually what makes our sport much more interesting and better.”
In the “Battle of the Sexes” match, Kyrgios (the No. 671 ranked male who is currently battling injury) defeated Sabalenka (the top-ranked female and reigning US Open champion) in straight sets, leading to backlash from fans on social media.
The match used modified rules, restricting each player to just one serve per point (instead of two) and shrinking Sabalenka’s side of the court by nine percent compared to Kyrgios’s, to try and even the playing field.
“I love to challenge myself and this is a huge challenge, especially playing against Nick, a guy who is unpredictable and crazy,” Sabalenka told reporters before the match. “It’s great training for me and a great message to the girls out there — I hope they will see how strong and tough I am by playing against a guy.”
After the match, despite the lopsided score, Kyrgios had nothing but positive words for Sabalenka and the event.
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“She’s an amazing athlete, when she was moving side to side she was playing shots that some of the top men play,” Kyrgios said on the court after the match. “I’m not surprised, I’ve seen her play and we have practiced a couple of times. She was right there, it could have gone either way.”
He continued: “I was nervous. I don’t think many people would have put their hand up to be in this position. The score line was close, I was under the pump there. I was nervous, this is all the world was talking about for the last six months. I couldn’t even use my right hand a year, 18 months ago. I’m glad to even be back out here and play, honestly it’s pretty emotional.”
Sabalenka also alluded to potentially facing off against Kyrgios again.
“Really enjoyed the show,” Sabalenka said after the match. “And I feel like next time I play him I’m going to know the tactics, his strengths and his weaknesses, and it’s going to be a better match, for sure.”
