ARYNA Sabalenka has confirmed that she is ready to meet Nick Kyrgios in an exhibition match in a modern tennis ‘Fight for the Gender’.
Kyrgios claimed he could beat Sabalenka, the Women’s World No. 1 and Three-time Grand Slam Master, which suggested he should not try to “100 percent” to win.
In response, Sabalenka said she will be determined to “kick his ass” if the match goes on.
In the original 1973 battle of Billie Jean King, Bobby Riggs defeated, where King’s Victory in Houston was down as one of the most famous matches of all time.
Sabalenka has been the best player in the world in the past few seasons and won his fourth Grand Slam title by beating Amanda Anisimova in the US Open final.
When could ‘The Battle of the Gender’ take place?
A date and location for Sabalenka against the Kyrgios match has not been confirmed, with Sabalenka, which sounds uncertain when asked about the exhibition during the US Open.
There have been reports that it could take place in Hong Kong in January, with a date at some point in the construction of the Australian Open later that month.
“We’re not safe on the spot,” Sabalenka said. “But certainly, if we want to bring it, we will bring it to a place where it will be a lot of people who see and we will put a lot of pressure on Nick.”
What else did arya sabalenka say?
“I think it’s a cool idea, you know. I think it’s going to be spectacular to see. It’s going to be fun, especially against someone like Nick.
“As he said in another interview that I really think I will win and I will definitely go out there and I will try my best to kick his ass.”
What did Nick Kyrgios say about the match?
Kyrgios has played only five games this season due to injury and pulled out of Wimbledon and the US Open. He is targeting a return on the Australian Open.
“Get to know her, she’s definitely a character,” Kyrgios said. “I’m super excited about it. I think she’s the type of player who really thinks she’ll win.
“She [Sabalenka] won’t beat me. Do you really think I have to try 100 percent? I’m trying. Because I represent men’s side. I would say like 6-2 maybe.
“I don’t want to go there and say, ‘Oh, she’s so good, I can’t play this.’ It would make me look so bad.
“I mean, our server, women can’t really return them,” Kyrgios also claimed. “And then we can just chip and let go of shots.
“I think I’ll be okay. I want to go there and I don’t want her to win. It’s for sure.”
What happened in 1973 ‘The Battle of the Gender’?
Billie Jean King, the 12-time Grand Slam Master, reluctantly accepted to take on Bobby Riggs, a self-proclaimed “male chauvinistic”, after the beaten Margaret court in a battle later known as ‘Mother’s Day Massacre’.
King was 29 years old and the best women’s player in the world when she was facing Riggs, the former No. 1 ranked men’s, who at the age of 55 boasted that he could beat any women’s player.
In what remains the most watched tennis match of the time, with 30,000 people present in Houston and estimated 90 million watch all over the world, King Riggs defeated in straight sets. It created a moment that helped drive the collection power of women’s rights movement in the United States.
