Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka may not be happy about what Emma Raducanu’s former coach has said about their upcoming match.
The original Battle of the Sexes match took place 52 years ago, with Billie Jean King representing women’s tennis.
Kyrgios and Sabalenka are looking to recreate this match in Dubai, but people including Rennae Stubbs have slammed the Battle of the Sexes idea.
Stubbs’ criticisms have been met by a strong response from Kyrgios, and now Mark Petchey has had his say.
Mark Petchey calls the Battle of the Sexes match ‘pointless’
Petchey coached Raducanu for five months earlier this year, including for her memorable Wimbledon encounter against Sabalenka.
Although he is not currently coaching a player, Petchey has taken to social media to give his verdict on the Battle of the Sexes match.
In his verdict, Petchey called the Battle of the Sexes match ‘pointless’, but also suggested that it will not do any damage to the sport.
The former British number one wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), “The Battle of Sexes won’t do any damage to tennis. The Battle of the Sexes is also pointless in its current format.
“But if non-tennis fans watch and get involved in watching/playing tennis because of it, then it did the only thing it can.”
What will the impact on women’s tennis be if Nick Kyrgios wins easily?
What is different about the format for the Battle of the Sexes match?
Petchey particularly highlighted the Battle of the Sexes format as the thing that he thought made the match pointless.
The rules for the match between Sabalenka and Kyrgios are different to a normal match, with different parameters being brought in.
Which two players in tennis history would you like to see in a Battle of the Sexes match?
Perhaps the most significant one is Sabalenka’s side of the court being made nine percent smaller in both length and width, giving Kyrgios less of the court to hit into.
Sabalenka and Kyrgios will also only have one serve each, with the third set being played as a match tie-break instead.
The questions will continue to be addressed towards Kyrgios and Sabalenka, but their Battle of the Sexes match will still go ahead in Dubai on December 28.
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