Date Confirmed for Battle of Sexes Match Between Aryna Sabalenka & Nick Kyrgios

Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios are bringing back one of tennis’s most controversial traditions next month. They’re planning their own "battle of the sexes" match.

And yeah, this concept has some pretty wild history.

Back in 1973, Bobby Riggs thought he could prove men were just better at tennis than women. He challenged Margaret Court first on May 13th and beat the 24-time Grand Slam champion pretty easily. Then he started talking trash about women’s tennis.

That didn’t sit well with Billie Jean King.

She faced Riggs on September 20th, 1973, in what’s still one of the most famous tennis matches ever played. The six-time Wimbledon champion crushed him 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. That match basically put women’s tennis on the map for mainstream audiences.

The only other big battle of the sexes happened in September 1992 between Martina Navratilova and Jimmy Connors.

Since Connors was only four years older than Navratilova, they had to change the rules to make it fair. Navratilova could hit into half the doubles alleys, and her opponent only got one serve.

Connors won 7-5, 6-2, but both players looked pretty nervous out there.

The Modern Version

Sabalenka and Kyrgios have been talking about this idea all year. But nobody knew when or where it would actually happen.

Well, now we do. December 28th at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.

The US Open women’s singles champion is pretty pumped about it.

"I have a lot of respect for Nick and his talent, but make no mistake, I’m ready to bring my A-game. I have so much respect for Billie Jean King and what she has done for the women’s game. I’m proud to represent women’s tennis and to be part of this modern take of the iconic ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match."

Kyrgios isn’t backing down either. The Australian said he’s ready to entertain fans in Dubai and everyone watching around the world.

"When the world number one challenges you, you answer the call. I’ve got massive respect for Aryna; she’s a powerhouse and a true champion. But I’ve never backed down from a challenge, and I’m not just here to play, I’m here to entertain. This is what I live for."

The Trash Talk Has Already Started

Even though both players are represented by the same agency and get along well, they’re already getting into it publicly.

Kyrgios told Alexander Bublik he wouldn’t even need to try at 100% to win.

Sabalenka fired back pretty quickly. When someone asked her about Kyrgios’s comments, she said she was going to work hard to kick his ass. That’s the WTA world No. 1 for you – she definitely believes in herself.

The rules will probably change just like they did for Connors and Navratilova’s match. The 2022 Wimbledon men’s singles runner-up might only get one serve, and they’ll likely mess with the court dimensions somehow to level the playing field.

People are split on whether this is actually good for tennis or if it just makes women’s tennis look bad.

Guess we’ll find out on December 28th.