Nick Kyrgios confirms Battle of the Sexes clash against Aryna Sabalenka – ‘She is not going to beat me’
Nick Kyrgios has revealed that his exhibition match against Aryna Sabalenka will go ahead in January 2026, ahead of the Australian Open, and claims that he won’t have to try ‘100%’ to win.
The Australian is set to clash against the WTA’s world No 1 in an exhibition match, taking place in Hong Kong at the start of next year.
Kyrgios and Sabalenka are seeking to evoke memories of the famous Battle of the Sexes 1973 match between 55-year-old Bobby Riggs and 29-year-old Billie Jean King.
In that match, it was King who was victorious 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, attracting over 50 million viewers in the United States and nearly 90 million worldwide.
“Getting to know her, she’s definitely a character,” Kyrgios said about Sabalenka on the First & Red podcast.
“I’m super excited for that. I think she’s the type of player who genuinely thinks she’s going to win.
“She [Sabalenka] is not gonna beat me. Do you really think I have to try 100 per cent? I’m going to try. Because I’m representing the men’s side. I’d say like 6-2 maybe.
“I’m not going to go there and say, ‘Oh, she’s so good, I can’t play this.’ That would make me look so bad. I’d imagine the internet would go crazy — go bananas.
“I mean, our serves, women can’t really return those. And then we can just chip and drop shot.
“You [Bublik] can drop shot, they would have no idea. I think I’m going to be okay. I’m going to go there, and I don’t want her to win. That’s for sure.”
The two players have had dramatically different 2025 seasons.
Sabalenka has reached the semi-finals, or further, at all four of the Grand Slams, winning the title in Brisbane, as well as at the Masters 1000 events in Miami and Madrid.
As a result, she currently leads both the WTA rankings and the Live WTA Race.
On the other hand, Kyrgios has played just five singles matches, claiming the victory on just one occasion (against MacKenzie McDonald at the Miami Open).
The Australian has been struggling with a wrist injury, which kept him out of the tour for 18 months, until January this year.
However, concerns surrounding his physical state have only loudened after looking less than 100% during his matches – including retiring mid-match against Botic Van de Zandschulp at Indian Wells.
As a result, he currently sits outside of the world’s top 1000.
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“We are thinking about doing a battle of the sexes later in the year, where the court is going to be slightly smaller for me and one serve,” Kyrgios stated, during an Instagram post in July.
“UTS is an event of how modern-day tennis should be, so we’re going to do it on a smaller court.
“[Continued] I’m really nervous for it because she’s in her absolute prime right now, but I still feel confident that I’d get her (laughs).
“The drop shot is my friend, I still think I’ve got enough variation and enough talent in the tank to take Sabalenka, but I’m feeling nervous right now.
“It’s something that we are up for doing and we are very close to.”
