Iga Swiatek Reacts to the Controversial Battle of the Sexes Match Between Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka

Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios to kick off their 2026 season at the Brisbane International in Australia.

Iga Swiatek Reacts to the Controversial Battle of the Sexes Match Between Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka

Aryna Sabalenka, Nick Kyrgios and Iga Swiatek (via X/TNT Sports)

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Iga Swiatek has dismissed any interest in the controversial Battle of the Sexes exhibition, which was between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios. The former World No.1 has stated that the match had nothing to prove about women’s tennis. Swiatek’s criticism comes after several former players and pundits have murmured their dislike of the match in Dubai last year.

Sabalenka was expected to win the match against Kyrgios at the Battle of the Sexes clash due to her form. She had finished the 2025 season at the top of the WTA rankings for the second consecutive year. Meanwhile, Kyrgios had not played a singles tour-level match since March and was just returning from a career-threatening wrist injury.

However, that didn’t matter much in the end as Kyrgios stunned the Belarusian star 6-3, 6-3 in Dubai. The surprising victory for Kyrgios led to more criticism about the match, with fans expressing that it didn’t help women’s tennis. But Sabalenka and Kyrgios were quick to play down the growing criticism about their Battle of the Sexes clash.

The duo defended that the main interest of the match was for entertainment and drawing global attention to the sport like never before. However, critics have noted that the exhibition clash was a bad move by the pair, as they tried to draw a comparison to the 1973 tie between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, which is one of the most significant sporting moments in history.

Six-time Grand Slam champion, Swiatek, is currently in Perth, Australia, for the United Cup. She will be representing her country at the mixed-gender team competition. During the press conference, she noted that the clash between Sabalenka and Kyrgios had no resemblance to the Battle of the Sexes match:

I think for sure it attracted a lot of attention. It was entertainment, but I wouldn’t say that it had anything to do with social change or any important topics. I think the name was just the same as the one from the Billie Jean King match in ’73. That’s it. There were no more similarities because I feel like women’s tennis stands on its own right now. We have so many great athletes and great stories to present, we don’t necessarily need to compare to men’s tennis.

Sabalenka and Kyrgios will take part in the women’s and men’s Brisbane International ahead of the Australian Open. The former is the defending champion of the tournament, having won it last year, while the latter is returning to the tour after over five months away due to injury, hoping to get the needed warm-up at the event.

Iga Swiatek says the United Cup brings unity to the sport

Iga Swiatek has made the United Cup a firm event on her schedule for the past few years on tour, as she often uses it to prepare for the Australian Open. She’s seeking to complete a career Grand Slam at the Australian Open, which will be an incredible achievement for her, having gone through fluctuating form in the past few months.

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek (Image via X/iga archive)

During the aforementioned interview, the World No.2 noted she likes playing at the United Cup because it brings players from the women’s and men’s circuits, creating a sense of unity in the sport. She added that the event makes the sport more exciting for fans:

I think actually events like this one, United Cup, brings tennis together, and WTA fans and ATP fans can watch this event with so much excitement. Seeing also singles players that usually don’t have space to play mixed doubles together, playing these kind of matches, I think this is actually what makes our sport much more interesting and better.

Swiatek and Poland have reached the final of the last two editions of the United Cup. They lost to Germany in 2024 and to the United States of America in 2025. They will aim to take one step further in 2026 by finally winning the title, which, should it happen, would be a significant boost for Swiatek ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne.

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