Well, this week the news broke. Aryna Sabalenka the world’s number 1 female tennis player will be taking on the ever-polarising Nick Kyrgios in what has been termed the fourth ever battle of the sexes. But is this exhibition match worthy of the name?
Any real follower of women’s tennis and the ongoing need for equality across sporting codes, will remember the Bobby Riggs and Billy Jean King match, in what is known and forever cemented as the Battle of Sexes match (although an earlier match had been played between Riggs and Margaret Court). It was 1973, and she had won Wimbledon, the U.S singles, French singles, Australia, and multiple doubles titles. It was a time when women’s tennis was not taken seriously and the patriarchy was hard at work criticising female players. The match between King and Riggs changed that. It was an iconic meeting that changed the history of the women’s game and created a movement of which Billie Jean King was the figurehead. She became the founder of the Women’s Tennis Association and worked towards equality in tennis. The impact of that match and the hard work of Billie Jean King have laid the foundation of equality within women’s tennis.
Now in 2025, we will witness Aryna take on Nick in what is possibly just another entertainment match staged as a battle, unworthy of the name. Organised by Evolve, the same agency who represents both players, neither player has revealed what they will be paid for appearing or how much they will be paid from their own agency and the attention the match will draw. Nick Krygios epitomises all that exists of toxic masculinity, frequently criticising and shaming female tennis players, assaulting his girlfriends and speaking about his conquests loudly for all to hear. Aryna however is an incredibly strong player who could easily take on the tennis version of Andrew Tate, but with her characteristic smile she has gushed “it’s going to be fun to play him, it’s going to be good entertainment.” Doesn’t sound like a battle to me.
The court rules will be adjusted as data shows that female tennis players are on average 9% slower than men, so her side of the court will be 9% smaller by width and length. It’s a best of three match, and there will be just one serve as Kyrgios is notorious on the serve speed.
Tennis has long been a singular sport in a world of ongoing inequality for women, where women have been uplifted and advancement continues to be centre stage. The U.S. Open which featured the mixed doubles section of top male and female pairings, was an overwhelming success and brought joy to both the players and the fans. It’s something many hope will stay for the foreseeable future.
However, what happens when a name like Battle of the Sexes, which calls to mind an event that framed and changed equality in tennis, is used for a high – paying exhibition match that misses the original intention? What is at stake? It’s hard to know. But with the world of sport still being a battlefield for female athletes, if Sabalenka loses to a man like Kyrgios, she still gets her fee but it plays into the narrative that no matter how good a woman is in sport, even with added advantages, she will never be as good as a man. Kyrgios gets to stay relevant and he gets to gloat and appear on podcasts stating the obvious. Women working in sport and advocating for the ongoing work of equality, will have to pick up the pieces of the setbacks. The history of the women’s game may not be at stake, but certainly women in sport and elsewhere, will be told, “I told you so.” Personally, the exhibition match will be exciting to watch and for once in my life, I will be supporting Sabalenka but it should have used another name. Nostalgia is a profound thing, and transporting people back to a moment that changed a trajectory, is a dangerous thing. Call it what is it.
An exhibition match. One that should have no bearing or judgment upon the female ability within the sporting realm. Calling it “Battle of the Sexes” places men and women as opposing categories rather than celebrating individual athletes, turning skill and style difference into a gendered debates. Sabalenka and Kyrgios are both unique personalities and competitors, perhaps the story should be about them, not a her or him narrative but only time will tell how this match will play out. And if we’ve made too big a deal about this exhibition, when the athletes are merely playing the “game.”
The first Battle of the Sexes changed history. This one should remind us that equality was never meant to be entertainment.
