Aryna Sabalenka has one big appointment left before her year comes to an end, with the world number one taking on Nick Kyrgios in the Battle of the Sexes.
Billie Jean King won the original Battle of the Sexes match in 1973, defeating former Wimbledon and US Open champion Bobby Riggs.
King won the match – which an estimated 90 million people watched worldwide – 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in Houston.
Now, another edition of the exhibition is taking place, with Sabalenka playing against Kyrgios in Dubai later this month.
Billie Jean King will ask Aryna Sabalenka about being undermined after her match with Nick Kyrgios
Tennis legend King has now shared her take on the match, having been asked by BBC Sport if she thinks it could undermine women’s tennis and Sabalenka.
She said: “I don’t know. I’ll have to ask her after she plays, but we have never said we are better than men – ever.
“We have talked about our entertainment value – sometimes a women’s match ends up being better than a guy’s match. I get upset when people say you think you are better. We have never said that, never.”
Which two players in tennis history would you like to see in a Battle of the Sexes match?
Billie Jean King names the ‘only similarity’ between her Battle of the Sexes match and Aryna Sabalenka’s
It’s certainly set to be a different encounter from the one in 1973, when King played Riggs in a best-of-five set match.
She was 29 years old at the time and her male counterpart was 55, with Kyrgios aged 30 and Sabalenka aged 27.
Moreover, the latest edition is best-of-three sets, and Sabalenka’s side of the court will be 9% smaller to account for average player speed.
Sharing any similarities between the two matches, King argued: “The only similarity is that one is a boy and one is a girl. That’s it. Everything else, no.
“Ours was about social change; culturally, where we were in 1973. This one is not. I hope it’s a great match – I want Sabalenka, obviously, to win – but it’s just not the same.”
What will the impact on women’s tennis be if Nick Kyrgios wins easily?
Regardless of the criticism of the Battle of the Sexes match, of which there has been plenty, it should be an exciting spectacle in Dubai.
Tennis fans will be treated to high-quality action on the court, led by Sabalenka’s power and the showmanship of Kyrgios.
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