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Gaia Piccardi
Nick Kirgyos wins a match against no. 1 Arya Sabalenka which is neither a serious experiment nor worthy entertainment. Just a commercial operation that uses the name of the historic “Battle of the Sexes” to fill stadiums in the Middle East
No, it is not the sudden onset of severe astigmatism. The field is really asymmetrical to grant to donna, Aryna Sabalenkaa playing area 9% smaller than that of the man, Nick Kyrgios. «It reflects the average differences in movement speed between males and females» explain the organizers of this disheartening show that does not have the minimum characteristics of seriousness to be a social-sports experiment nor the quality to be enjoyable entertainment.
The promoters of the Dubai anti-show (who, coincidentally, represent both players) called it Battle of the Sexes, a parade of brands, starting with the name of the stadiumwhich forced Billie Jean King, winner of the legendary Battle of Sexes on September 20, 1973 against Bobby Riggs, to distance yourself: «At the time there were profound reasons for unequal treatment between the sexes, in sport and in society, which justified that match. The only thing in common with Sabalenka-Kyrgios is the fact that a man and a woman face each other.” Amen.
In the overcrowded calendarwhile everyone complains about a tennis season that doesn’t allow a breath of air to breathe, there is time and space for a challenge between the world number one and a thirty-year-old desperately trying to extend his career. It makes sense that the venue for the most forgettable match of the year would be Dubai: the Middle East is the new Meccasince last year the most generous ATM in view of Christmas is made in Riyadh in November at the Six Kings Slam, it will be Saudi Arabia itself that will annex, from 2028, the tenth Master 1000 of the ATP calendar.
In Dubai, always generous with its guests, many champions winter (Sinner from last year, attracted by the facilities made available to him), of yesterday (Federer, who keeps his home in Dubai) and of today. In the stands, once the match has started, Kakà and Ronaldo, the real one, appearthe stadium is full, people are having fun. The game, assuming we find meaning in it, is what it is: all it takes is one Kyrgios sunk to number 652 in the rankings, limp and half serveto win a first set full of breaks (6-3), doubts about the Australian’s physical fitness are strong but he just needs to find a bit of order and let go of his arm to bring out a superiority that this match didn’t need to be validated.
Sabalenka, who is doing the off-season in Dubai and is already ready for Australia, every now and then she sinks a good point into the laziness of her rival. But it’s all too fake, and forced, to appear reliable. We advance in leaps and bounds, with only one service available. Since the public was paying, in the second set Kyrgios recovered the deficit (1-3) and, with a leap of pride, closes with another 6-3.
The Dubai Battle of the Sexes, Anno Domini 2025ends without telling us anything we didn’t already know. Sabalenka, who in 2025 has played three out of four Slam finals (a win, in New York), she will be the woman to beat in Melbourne; Kyrgios, who before the Australian Open will participate – speaking of sideshows – in the Million Dollar One Point Slam (where could find Sinner again after the crude social pigeon shooting on doping), has sufficiently mistreated his talent: rather than for the 2022 Wimbledon final, he will be remembered for the throwing of the chair at the changeover, the accusations of violence from ex-girlfriends, the unsportsmanlike conduct, the disqualifications, the assorted unpleasantness distributed equally for the courts of the planet. And for the extraordinary victory in Dubai.
December 28, 2025
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