Aryna Sabalenka has fired back at Nick Kyrgios ahead of their planned ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match in 2026.
Sabalenka’s US Open win has kept her on top of the WTA Tour rankings, and the Belarusian is set for a bout with the controversial Aussie.
There have been reports that the intergender match may take place in Hong Kong in January, but a confirmed date is yet to be announced.
Ahead of the much-anticipated clash, Sabalenka has sent a direct message to her future opponent, Kyrgios.
Aryna Sabalenka sends a message to Nick Kyrgios ahead of tennis clash
Kyrgios has been incredibly confident about the intergender match, despite his lack of game time in 2025 at the top of the sport.
Sabalenka, meanwhile, is determined to make a statement by defeating the former 2022 Wimbledon finalist.
Speaking on the Jay Shetty podcast, the World No. 1 revealed: “Since we’re fighting for equal prize money, I believe that’s the reason. But, mostly, I think it’s fun and it’s cool to see.”
“It’s interesting for me to play against the man and I’m ready to kick his a–,” said Sabalenka as she began the fighting talk.
“I’m putting a lot of pressure on him right now,” the US Open winner continued. “I hope he’s going to just withdraw from feeling all of the pressure.
The star then ratcheted up the pressure on the Aussie by sending him a direct message to the camera. Sabalenka said: Well, Nick, you’ve got to be ready. You better be ready. And I’m going to I’m going to kick your a–.”
How many Battle of the Sexes have there been?
The most famous ‘Battle of the Sexes’ was the bout between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King in 1973, but that’s not the only time a male and female star have gone toe-to-toe.
King won that bout in front of 90 million viewers worldwide, and it’s without a doubt the most lasting of the matches between a male and a female tennis player.
However, there have been various high-profile bouts following King defeating Riggs at the Houston Astrodome.
43-year-old Yannick Noah defeated 21-year-old Justine Henin in 2003, while Novak Djokovic and Li Na played a mini exhibition at the Beijing Open in 2013, which was won by the Chinese star 3-2.
