Nick Kyrgios Reveals Whether He Will Feature in Another Battle of the Sexes clash after Heavy Criticism

Nick Kyrgios claimed his ultimate victory against Aryna Sabalenka in the latest version of the Battle of the Sexes in Dubai. Despite several critics questioning his involvement in the clash, the former World No.13 proved he can produce a high-level performance. However, he has revealed that he will play at the tournament again if given the chance in the future.

Kyrgios had entered the clash against Sabalenka as the second favorite. He had not played a singles competitive match since March and was just returning to the court from a career-threatening injury. He had played in a few exhibition tournaments leading up to the Battle of the Sexes clash.

Also, Kyrgios was heavily criticized for being the male protagonist at the exhibition match given his antecedent with women. Several of his social media posts have been viewed as misogynistic, and he once retweeted a post by Influencer Andrew Tate. Nonetheless, he didn’t allow the criticism define his game as he gave a solid performance against Sabalenka.

The World No 671 used a variety of shots to break Sabalenka, who was relying on her powerful forehand shots and serves. The Aussie effectively used drop shots to counter the Belarusian star forcing her to sprint to the net uncharacteristically and runback to her baseline, which became a torment eventually.

Kyrgios won the clash 6-3, 6-3, becoming the third male player to win the Battle of the Sexes exhibition. During his press conference after the win, he was asked if he would consider playing the event when called upon in the future. The 30-year-old admitted that he would love to play against Sabalenka:

This has been the most talked event probably in sport in the last six months. If we looked about how many interactions we had on social media and the news. So anyone that was negative and watched, they just love it. They just don’t want to love it. They do love it. I am sure the next time that we do it, if I am a part of it and she is a part of it, I am sure that it will now be a cultural movement that will happen more often and I think it’s a step in the right direction.

Sabalenka’s loss to Kyrgios has made critics believe the match didn’t do any good for women’s tennis. The World No.1 has defended her choice of playing in the competition, despite murmurings that it was just for entertainment and financial benefits. Her defense was that it would draw global attention to the sport, particularly women’s tennis.

Nick Kyrgios believes most players in the top 100 won’t be able to face Aryna Sabalenka

Nick Kyrgios often admitted he was scared going into the clash against Aryna Sabalenka at the Battle of the Sexes exhibition in Dubai. The World No.671 was going against the best player in the women’s circuit and hadn’t played a competitive singles match in the past six months. But, his determination helped him secure the needed victory against Sabalenka.

During the aforementioned press conference, the Aussie admitted that he was under pressure going into the match. He added that most of the players ranked in the top 100 will be afraid to compete in the match due to the pressure:

I know that there would be males in the top 100 that would not put their hands up and put themselves out here in that pressure cooker. That is not easy. The build-up, the days. I did not have the best sleep last night, because I know that whatever role I played in this was not easy mentally to overcome and go out there and perform in a classy manner as well.

Kyrgios will not have to travel far for his first tournament in 2026 ahead of the Australian Open. He’s set to compete at the Brisbane International after the ATP 500 event gave him a wild card entry into the main draw. He will also partner with compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis in the doubles of the event.

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