The Battle of the Sexes between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios took place on Sunday in Dubai, and it seems to have left everyone disappointed and upset, both from the people at the Cocal Cola Arena and from the people watching at home. The crowds mostly sided with Sabalenka, but as the match went on and Kyrgios dominated and eventually won 6-3, 6-3, most of the stadium went pretty silent, frequently seeing bored faces when they showed the spectators.
Even with the physical differences between men and women, some expected that Sabalenka, World No. 1 in women's tennis for two years in a row, would be more competitive against Kyrgios, former Wimbledon finalist who has completed only seven matches in the last three years, permanently affected by injuries, and stands as the 671 player in the ATP ranking.
It was specially striking given the differences in the court (Sabalenka's side of the court was 9% smaller) and the rule of only allowing one serve, which in theory could have benefitted Sabalenka due to the court difference, but ended up being a big advantage for Kyrgios (who missed only one serve, while Sabalenka missed five serves).
Sabalenka "embarrased herself" and did more harm than good to women's tennis
Opinions on social were very harsh, starting with the twisting of the concept (the original Battle of the Sexes in 1973 were made in the context of the fight for equality, as Billie Jean King reminded, while this was purely made as a commercial opportunity); the choice of Kyrgios, who two years ago plead guilty of domestic abuse; and finally the lack of entertainment and sporting value of the match, with many questioning that it tarnishes Sabalenka's reputation and disservices women's tennis as a whole, reigniting the discourse on gender differences that some use to discredit women's sports.
<social>https://x.com/mariahSal_99/status/2005330883700822291</social>
<social>https://x.com/quantumgenesys/status/2005312264442933567</social>
<social>https://x.com/Deep_Take001/status/2005331483645632736</social>
<social>https://x.com/Shadhinmufc/status/2005334198387925135</social>
<social>https://x.com/Scienceofsport/status/2005546965510365450</social>
What do you think about the Battle of the Sexes between Sabalenka and Kyrgios?