SYDNEY:
Mercurial Australian Nick Kyrgios claims he will easily beat women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a “Battle of the Sexes” showdown that could be played next year.
Australian and British media said the rare man-versus-woman contest was pencilled in, but not yet confirmed, for Hong Kong in January in the lead-up to the Australian Open.
Kyrgios said he was “super-excited” about the prospect, adding: “She’s not going to beat me, do you really think I have to try 100 percent?
“Getting to know her, she’s definitely a character,” the 2022 Wimbledon finalist added in a YouTube interview with fellow ATP Tour player Alexander Bublik.
“I think she’s the type of player who genuinely thinks she’s going to win.”
The 30-year-old Kyrgios, ranked 651 in the world after a series of injuries, has not played since losing in the second round at the Miami Open in March.
In contrast, Belarusian Sabalenka is a three-time Grand Slam champion and the world’s top-ranked woman.
Asked by Bublik how he would beat her, Kyrgios said: “Our serves, women can’t return them and then we can just chip and drop shot.”
Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in a “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition in 1973, a key moment as the push for women’s rights gained ground.
