Not everyone is a fan of the announcement that Nick Kyrgios will play Aryna Sabalenka in a Battle of the Sexes match.
A date has been confirmed for the match between Kyrgios and Sabalenka, which will be held in Dubai later this year.
Both players have been giving fighting talk ahead of the exhibition, with Kyrgios confident he is going to beat Sabalenka.
After the confirmation of this match taking place, six-time Grand Slam doubles champion Rennae Stubbs has given her verdict.
Rennae Stubbs criticises upcoming Battle of the Sexes match as she predicts the winner
This is not the first time a Battle of the Sexes match has been held, with Billie Jean King part of the original back in 1973.
Former world number one Dinara Safina was adamant that Kyrgios would beat Sabalenka when she reacted to the news, and Stubbs agrees with this prediction, whilst slamming the whole idea.
“I said years ago [it] was important. When it was women trying to fight for equality and women’s rights in the United States,” Stubbs said on her podcast. “That’s when it was important. When we had 80,000 people in the Metrodome or Houston and the whole country watching it.
“Nobody gives a f—- what is happening with Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios. The only reason they are putting it on is it’s literally their management company, Evolve, is saying we can make a bit of money here. It’ll be good. Put it on TV, sell a few tickets.
“But what is in this for women’s tennis? Nick Kyrgios, unless he is really hurt and can’t run at all, he is going to win this match so easily.
“It’s just a fact that male tennis players, especially someone as good as Nick Kyrgios if he’s even playing at 50%, he is going to win that match. It just doesn’t make sense to me. Is Sabalenka going to be serious? Is it going to be a joke?”
What special rules will be used for Battle of the Sexes match between Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka?
While many people believe that former Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios will beat WTA number one Sabalenka, there have been some special rules added to the match.
The match will be best-of-three, with a deciding set acting as a 10-point match tie-break if required.
However, some of the more unique features include both players having just one serve, and Sabalenka’s side of the court will also be nine percent smaller than Kyrgios’.
This could act as a leveller for the match, which will be the first of its kind for some time.
Sabalenka is currently playing at the WTA Finals in her final official tournament of the year, before playing Kyrgios in Dubai later this year on Sunday, December 28.
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