Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka are poised to take part in a cultural flashpoint later this year, as they take to the court for another Battle of the Sexes.
The first, coming back in 1973, saw Billie Jean King fighting against the chauvinistic Bobby Riggs in a desperate effort to get people to start taking women’s tennis more seriously.
Her wider impact on the sport needs no introduction, but this was one of her more iconic moments as she downed her opponent in three straight sets.
The context behind this contemporary alternative between Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka is not as important; however, the lasting impact it could have on the WTA might not be good for their brand.
What have Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka said about their Battle of the Sexes match?
Both Kyrgios and Sabalenka, naturally, have been very vocal about this upcoming bout.
After all, it is a significant exhibition, pitting two of the sport’s biggest names against one another.
Naturally, neither has pulled any punches, and both seem wholly confident that they will be the one to come out on top.
Kyrgios has predicted what the future holds for Sabalenka following their match, whilst Sabalenka sent Kyrgios a strong message ahead of this Battle of the Sexes.
The Belarusian also recently claimed: “I genuinely think that I’m going to win. I’ll definitely go out there and I’ll try my best to kick his a—.”
The Battle of the Sexes can only damage the WTA’s reputation
Whilst Kyrgios will head into the match with nothing to lose, given he has played just four tour-level matches all year due to injury, Sabalenka and the WTA, conversely, have plenty at stake.
After all, it feels as though there is no way they can win.
If the women’s world number one defeats Kyrgios, it will merely be the top-ranked female player beating the current men’s world number 658, and an injury-prone version of him, too.
However, if the unthinkable should happen and she loses, the WTA and Sabalenka will take a huge credibility hit, which will almost definitely spark an outpouring of negativity towards the women’s game.
Over the last few decades, there have been huge strides made in championing equality, financially and otherwise, across the men’s and women’s games.
It feels like, regardless of the result, Sabalenka’s match with Kyrgios is certain to halt, or even reverse that process slightly. Tennis fans are unlikely to be hugely affected by the outcome, but casuals will certainly use this as a reference point for years to come to fight ill-advised battles against the women’s game.
