Nick Kyrgios defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the battle of the sexes in Dubai. It was a match that will not be remembered.
What hasn’t been written about the gender battle between Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka in the last few months. After the memorable “Battle of the Sexes” in 1973 between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, which had sports political significance and gave a huge boost to the development of women’s tennis, the showdown between Kyrgios and Sabalenka was intended to “create a new image of equality,” as Stuart Duguid, the organizer of the new “Battle of the Sexes,” fully promised.
A match that the tennis world didn’t need
The good news: The battle of the sexes is finally over! Because what it was from the start has come true: a huge marketing stunt. Kyrgios and Sabalenka have the same management, the Evolve agency, of which Duguid is a co-founder. There was no winner in this “Battle of the Sexes” in Dubai, even though Kyrgios won the match 6:3, 6:3. Sabalenka didn’t do herself or women’s tennis any favors by stepping up.
The scene is significant when Sabalenka performs the famous dance to the 90s classic Macarena during a time out in the second movement. A scene that would be unthinkable during a serious competitive match. Sure, for sports lovers who only watch tennis every now and then, this show duel may have been quite entertaining, but the tenor of those who have been watching tennis regularly for years was clear: a match that the tennis world didn’t need and will at most be a tiny footnote in the annals of tennis.
Kyrgios: “A big step forward for tennis”
“This was a big step forward for tennis,” said Kyrgios after his victory. No, it was more of a useless spectacle than a respectable tennis match. Sabalenka’s half of the court was nine percent smaller, and both players only had one serve available. And yet: Although the rules led to Kyrgios’ best weapon, the first serve, being completely disarmed, it was enough for the Australian to play with the handbrake on to confidently defeat the world’s best player.
Kyrgios, who had hardly played competitive tennis in the last three years, did not give the impression that he would soon be able to compete on the ATP tour against the best players in the world.
“I enjoyed the show. For next time I know his tactics and how he plays. I would like to play against him again,” says Sabalenka. No, please don’t! If there’s one thing the tennis world doesn’t need, it’s another circus match. Unfortunately, this duel was not an advertisement for women’s tennis.
Better to have more of a mix than a battle of the sexes
Garbine Muguruza, Wimbledon champion and former world number one, put it best: “I think a junior would beat me even if I was number one. I had a lot of sparring partners, and every time I had to play a training set, I would end up angry. ‘How can I not win a set against him?’ And he wasn’t even a professional. That’s a huge difference. It’s not just about strength, physically speaking, the muscles, the endurance that a man has. It’s a lot of things.”
The differences between women’s and men’s tennis are huge. That should be clear to everyone after this match at the latest. Let women and men play with each other instead of against each other. The mixed tournaments at the Grand Slams and the Olympics regularly show how refreshing this is.
