Casper Ruud Explains Why Aryna Sabalenka-Nick Kyrgios Battle of the Sexes is ‘Not Serious’
World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka will square off against Nick Kyrgios on December 28 in Dubai.
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Aryna Sabalenka, Casper Ruud, Nick Kyrgios (Image via X/Game, Set & Talk, TNT Sports, Swish Tennis)
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Just a few days are left for the much-awaited Battle of the Sexes. The exhibition event will be organized by Evolve, the agency of four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.
The match is scheduled to start on December 28 in Dubai. This edition of the man versus woman clash will feature Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka.
While Sabalenka and Kyrgios are of the opinion that the match will only benefit women’s tennis, many are convinced it will only belittle women’s tennis. Some also think Kyrgios’ victory will be the victory of misogyny, given that the Aussie, on multiple occasions, made comments considered misogynistic.
Casper Ruud also joined the discussion. Because Sabalenka’s side of the court will be nine percent smaller and she will be given two serves, the Norwegian ace thinks the match won’t be a serious one at all.
If you really want to do it, you need to have fair playing conditions. If the two players are not playing on the same surface and do not have two serves, it’s not serious.
Casper Ruud said on Greg Rusedski’s Off Court with Greg podcast
Kyrgios has already featured in an exhibition event where he locked horns with the Belarusian. In the Gardens Cup in New York, the pair of Sabalenka and Ben Shelton defeated the team of Kyrgios and Osaka. Kyrgios was last seen in an official event at the Citi Open, where he played doubles. He paired up with Gael Monfils, but they failed to go beyond the first round.
In his last official singles match, the 2022 Wimbledon finalist lost to Karen Khachanov in the second round of the Miami Open. Kyrgios registered just one match win this season, in the first round of the Miami Open, where he went past MacKenzie McDonald.
Ruud, on the other hand, featured in three finals this year. After losing the Dallas Open to Denis Shapovalov, the three-time Grand Slam finalist defeated Jack Draper in the Madrid Open final before he went past Ugo Humbert in the final of the Stockholm Open.
Ben Shelton on the Battle of the Sexes between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios
Ben Shelton thinks Nick Kyrgios will find it difficult to compete against Aryna Sabalenka because of the court size, as well as the World No.1 getting two serves. During his interview with Front Office Sports, the American said that he would definitely be watching the latest edition of the Battle of the Sexes.
I was with both of them last weekend, and it’s going to be tough for him. You know, he has a court that I think is, I think, 9% smaller. He only has one serve; she has two. And obviously, she’s the best player in the world right now. She’s very strong from the baseline. You’re taking away the weapon of his first serve. So I think it’s going to be an interesting match. It’s definitely something I would tune into.
Ben Shelton said
Shelton, this year, reached two finals. After losing the Munich Open to Alexander Zverev, the 23-year-old went past Karen Khachanov to clinch his career’s first Big Title at the Canadian Open.
The win helped Shelton make his debut at the ATP Finals, but he failed to progress to the semifinals, losing all the round-robin matches he played against Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and eventual champion Jannik Sinner.
Sabalenka made it to the title clash of the WTA Finals for the second time but failed to go past Elena Rybakina. The four-time Grand Slam singles champion, in fact, reached nine finals this year, winning four titles, including her second consecutive US Open crown.
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