Tracy Austin has delivered her honest verdict on Nick Kyrgios’ upcoming Battle of the Sexes clash with Aryna Sabalenka, rating her excitement for the exhibition out of ten.
It is an event that has drawn huge intrigue, and whilst many have rushed to condemn it, it is generating interest.
The verdict on whether this will be positive or negative for the sport remains highly polarising, but for a player like Kyrgios, that will be exactly the reaction he wanted.
The two have shared some battling words with one another, with Sabalenka sending Kyrgios a feisty message ahead of the match.
And yet, despite all the performative build-up, Austin remains unconvinced.
Tracy Austin gives her honest thoughts on Aryna Sabalenka vs Nick Kyrgios
Speaking on Tennis Channel, the pundit was asked for her thoughts on the clash, set to take place in Dubai at the end of December.
Austin admitted, first rating her excitement for the event: “Maybe a six. Not a ten.”
She then justified this claim by adding some historical context, questioning why both players, and not just Kyrgios, are being deprived of two serves: “When it was Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. You guys probably don’t remember that. That was a 10.
“What I don’t like is that I think Aryna Sabalenka needs both serves. I really do. Just one serve. Nick has the bigger serve, the bigger kick. So the only thing different is that she gets 9% more of the court… Otherwise, it’s straight up. I don’t like that. I’m probably gonna watch, but if I have a holiday party to go to, I might check out highlights.”
Vicky Duval did not share her cynicism though, as she added: “Yeah, I’m gonna go higher than a six. I’m at like an eight or nine. I think this is gonna be a very interesting matchup.
“The discourse around it has been really interesting, too, because I’ve seen a lot of people ask, Why is Sabalenka even doing this? But why not? I mean, they’re both represented by Evolve.
“And this would be a really interesting thing for Sabalenka. I don’t agree with it. I don’t like the format. I agree with Tracy. I don’t like that it’s one serve. I think it should just be two serves, just for Aryna.”
What happened during the first Battle of the Sexes match?
Whilst the term ‘Battle of the Sexes’ is most commonly associated with Billie Jean King’s win over Bobby Riggs in 1973, the first-ever match of this kind actually came four months before this clash.
It saw the same man, Riggs, face off against Margaret Court, who had stepped in after King initially declined the offer.
The $20,000 she earned from featuring in that one match was more than she had earned for winning both the 1973 Australian and French Open women’s singles titles, thus justifying her inclusion.
However, she was swiftly defeated by Riggs, 6-2, 6-1, in what has since been branded the ‘Mother’s Day Massacre’.
Court was 30 years old at the time, had recently returned to tennis after giving birth to her first child, and would finish that year as the world number one. King would later accept an offer to avenge Court’s defeat and beat Riggs in the following September.
