World number one tennis star Aryna Sabalenka has responded to the wave of criticism aimed at her high-profile exhibition match against Australia's Nick Kyrgios, expressing disappointment at being misunderstood. The Belarusian, speaking at the Brisbane International on Tuesday, said the negative reaction left her feeling "sad".
The Dubai Exhibition and Its Backlash
The much-debated "Battle of the Sexes" clash took place in Dubai on December 28. Sabalenka lost to Kyrgios with a score of 6-3, 6-3 in an event that drew massive global attention but also sparked intense debate about its purpose. Critics questioned if the spectacle, organized by the agency representing both athletes, was motivated more by financial gain and broadcast ratings than genuine sporting value.
"What I’m sad about is that some people got it wrong, the whole idea of that event," Sabalenka stated clearly. She pushed back against the notion that the match was intended to make a statement on gender or prove a point about women's tennis versus men's. Instead, she framed it as an innovative way to present the sport.
Sabalenka's Vision: Bringing New Eyes to Tennis
Sabalenka emphasised that the exhibition's core goal was to demonstrate tennis's potential to captivate audiences outside traditional tournament structures. "It was fun. It was a great challenge. I think we brought so many eyes on tennis," she explained. "It wasn't about proving something to anyone."
She elaborated further, saying, "It was about to show that tennis can be really huge and we can bring a lot of attention on the exhibition match, which usually never happen, and we just proved that. That's all it was about." The match featured modified rules designed to balance the physical differences between the players, yet it inevitably drew comparisons to the iconic 1973 Battle of the Sexes between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
Dissent and Additional Controversy
Not all of Sabalenka's peers shared her positive outlook. World number two Iga Swiatek openly questioned the necessity for such a crossover event. On Saturday, Swiatek remarked that women's tennis does not need spectacles of this nature for validation, "because I feel like women's tennis stands on its own right now."
The choice of Kyrgios as an opponent added another layer of controversy. The Australian player has a controversial past, having previously admitted to assaulting an ex-girlfriend in 2021 and making misogynistic comments, which he has since had to distance himself from. This history fueled part of the public debate surrounding the exhibition's appropriateness.
The original 1973 Battle of the Sexes carried profound social significance, with Billie Jean King fighting for the legitimacy and equal pay of the women's professional tour she helped found. In contrast, Sabalenka's modern interpretation was presented purely as an entertainment product aimed at expanding tennis's reach, a distinction she felt many critics failed to grasp.
