Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka will be counting down the days until their highly anticipated Battle of the Sexes match.
Sabalenka will play Kyrgios in Dubai later this month, in what is the latest edition of the Battle of the Sexes series.
Kyrgios is a popular figure in tennis, but his upcoming match with WTA number one Sabalenka has drawn plenty of criticism.
Former player Rennae Stubbs has criticized the Battle of the Sexes match, while her fellow former pro Steve Johnson won’t watch Kyrgios versus Sabalenka.
Nick Kyrgios tells Battle of the Sexes critics to ‘sit back and enjoy the show’
Kyrgios hit back at Stubbs, with the seven-time ATP champion now issuing a further shot at anyone else taking such a stance.
Sharing an image of himself and Sabalenka, Kyrgios wrote on his Instagram story: “By the way, all the negative comments towards the Battle of the Sexes are doing nothing but giving it more attention.
“At the end of the day, Aryna will go down as one of the greatest players to play this game. I will have entertained crowds around the world. We are two humans that are good friends who want to put on a show and get more eyes on tennis.
Which two players in tennis history would you like to see in a Battle of the Sexes match?
“Not all this other stuff – does this not look like tennis is going in the right direction? Sit back and enjoy the show.
“We both love the challenge and are going into this with no real experience. No one cares what you have to say.”
The big dilemma with the Battle of the Sexes match between Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka
It’s certainly an interesting argument that Kyrgios poses, with the match undoubtedly set to attract huge attention.
That is already the case and it is still some way away, with many tennis fans and indeed non-tennis fans certain to be intrigued by what will happen on the court.
Controversial figure Kyrgios has always drawn plenty of eyes, while world number one Sabalenka is arguably the most high-profile player in women’s tennis right now.
What will the impact on women’s tennis be if Nick Kyrgios wins easily?
At the same time, however, many critics may be arguing that she has very little to gain from the match, other than the financial incentive, of course.
If she loses, it won’t do any good for women’s tennis, and if she wins people may be quick to claim that Kyrgios wasn’t giving his all, among other arguments.
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