The echoes of the controversy and opposition linked to the Battle of the Sexesstaged in Dubai. The comparison between the n.1 in the world, Aryna Sabalenkaand the Australian Nick Kyrgios it ended in favor of the latter with a double 6-3. Despite ad hoc rules to favor the Belarusian and a highly approximate condition of the Aussie, the feeling was that when Kyrgios wanted to get serious, the match didn’t happen.
Everything was then experienced in a very different way from the original idea. The reference is to the famous Houston confrontation between Billie Jean King e Bobby Riggs. The former French tennis player also joined the chorus of critics Alizé Cornet.
“I think it was a great marketing stunt to be honest. I have the impression that it’s just advertising and that the game itself takes a back seat. These new rules, especially the one to shorten the field for Sabalenka, seem to me to be total nonsense. Although the serve rule is understandable with a player like Nick Kyrgios, who can make four aces in a game, I think that if you just want to show off and don’t just want aces at that point“, he declared in an interview with RMC Sport shortly before the start of the match.
“It doesn’t give a good image of women’s tennis. As for the level of gameplay, I think it could have been a good match, objectively speaking, but everything surrounding it is really just a big publicity stunt. And not very successful at that. So, all in all, I’m not sold on the idea at first. I think it’s a shame to approach the issue from this perspective. This belittles and devalues the abilities of Sabalenka, who could easily give Nick Kyrgios a run for his money from the baseline, especially since he is practically retired, out of shape and has a swollen knee“, concluded the transalpine.
