On a night that turned out to be more subdued than it was expected, Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios defended their controversial “Battle of the Sexes” match.
The duo said they failed to understand why an exhibition aimed at showcasing tennis drew so much negativity from the tennis community.
Former Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios defeated world number one Sabalenka 6-3 6-3 at a packed Coca-Cola Arena on Sunday despite several rule tweaks implemented by the organisers to level the playing field.
Since the game was announced, a lot of criticism was aimed it could trivialise the 1973 original “Battle of the Sexes” in which women’s trailblazer Billie Jean King beat then 55-year-old former Grand Slam winner Bobby Riggs.
King said Sunday’s encounter lacked the stakes of her match while others, including former doubles world number one Rennae Stubbs, said the event was a publicity stunt and money grab.
“I honestly don’t understand how people were able to find something negative in this event,” Sabalenka told reporters.
“I think for the WTA, I just showed that I was playing great tennis; it was an entertaining match … it wasn’t like 6-0 6-0. It was a great fight, it was interesting to watch and it brought more eyes on tennis.
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Sabalenka said that the idea behind the event was to help the sport grow and show tennis from a different side.
“The idea behind it is to help our sport grow and show tennis from a different side, that tennis events can be fun and we can make it almost as big as Grand Slam matches,” she said.
Competitive game
Once a Wimbledon finalist and world number 13, Kyrgios has dropped down to world number 671 due to multiple injuries.
After the game, he pointed out that Sabalenka was extremely competitive against him. ”
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Let me just remind you that I’m one of 16 people that have ever beaten the ‘Big Four’ – Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafa Nadal have all lost to me,” Kyrgios said. “She just proved she can go out there and compete against someone that’s beaten the greatest of all time. There’s nothing but positive that can be taken away from this.”
Kyrgios said that he thinks that it can become a cultural movement. “I’m sure the next time we do it, if I’m a part of it and if she’s a part of it, it’ll be a cultural movement that will happen more often, and I think it’s a step in the right direction.”
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd