Nick Kyrgios Admits to Dealing with ‘Pressure’ Before Controversial Battle of the Sexes Match Against Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka won four titles this year, while Nick Kyrgios won only one match.
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Aryna Sabalenka, Nick Kyrgios (Image via X/ESPN)
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Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios played at the Gardens Cup – an exhibition event in New York. While Sabalenka defeated Naomi Osaka, Kyrgios failed to go past Ben Shelton.
It was Kyrgios’ first match since his doubles defeat in the first round of the Citi Open, where he played alongside France’s Gael Monfils. Kyrgios, this year, featured in just five tournaments, with his last singles match being his defeat to Karen Khachanov in the second round of the Miami Open.
Kyrgios, this year, won just one match – against America’s Mackenzie McDonald in the first round of the Miami Open. He will be in action on December 28 as well. The 30-year-old has signed up for the much-awaited Battle of the Sexes in Dubai, where he will be up against Sabalenka.
Obviously, you’ve got one potentially, I think, one of the greatest of all time women’s players, and she’s not even almost close to scratching the surface of what she can achieve. I think she wins multiple more Grand Slams.
Nick Kyrgios told AAP
Kyrgios made his comeback to the tour at the Brisbane International after 18 months. Sabalenka, on the other hand, has become a dominant force as this year, as she featured in the finals of almost every tournament she played.
She’s honestly been talking a little bit more about this match than I have, but I’m ready to take the challenge. I’m going to go out there and, in all honesty, it’s a lot of pressure for me, too.
Nick Kyrgios added
Kyrgios last won a title at the 2022 Citi Open by defeating Yoshihito Nishioka. The same year, he also reached his career’s first Grand Slam final, losing the match to 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in four sets.
Aryna Sabalenka’s coach on the Battle of the Sexes
Jason Stacy, the fitness and performance coach, who has been part of Aryna Sabalenka‘s coaching team since 2018, made his feelings known on the Battle of the Sexes. He also addressed the criticism the man versus woman event has garnered.
This Battle of the Sexes thing. I wasn’t involved in any of the process. I thought it would be kind of a cool, fun thing to do, that I’m obviously changing some of the structure and the rules and the court size and a bunch of variables to make it more even.
Jason Stacy said on The Line podcast
Many from the tennis community think there was no need for another Battle of the Sexes because times have changed, and female tennis players are not fighting as much for what they used to fight in the previous century.
Because the reality is, whether people like it or not, there is a reason that we have weight classes and skill differences and gender differences. There really is a difference; does it matter? And different, and it doesn’t mean different isn’t good, bad, better, it just means they’re just different. That’s why there are these things.
Jason Stacy added
Sabalenka, this season, took home four titles from nine finals. The four-time Grand Slam singles champion produced her best when she clinched the US Open by defeating home favorite Amanda Anisimova.
Apart from the US Open, the 27-year-old lifted titles at the Brisbane International, Miami Open, and the Madrid Open. She made it to three Grand Slam finals, apart from the New York Slam, the World No.1 played the title clashes of the Australian Open and the French Open, losing both to America’s Madison Keys and Coco Gauff, respectively.
Sabalenka finished the season as No.1 for the second consecutive time. She also reached the WTA Finals but failed to go past Elena Rybakina.
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