The recent Dubai exhibition match between Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenko reignited the public debate about gender and spectacle in tennis. As the dust settled, both players made clear their intentions for a possible rematch, while critics and legends of the sport weighed in on the wider significance of the event.
Nick Kyrgios took to social media to show his interest in another meeting. “I’m there,” he said to X in response. The announcement comes as anticipation grows over the prospect of a different format and another high-profile meeting between the Australian and Belarus stars.
Sabalenka, who suffered defeat in the original Dubai bout, expressed her desire for a new challenge and outlined the changes she would propose. “We’ll come up with a different format for the next match. I think I’d leave the whole court for Nick, but I’d take two serves. I think it would even out our level a bit more,” she said on Tennis Australia. Her comments indicate a willingness to rebalance the competition and keep the conversation around mixed exhibitions alive.
Sabalenka wants revenge for her ‘Battle of the Sexes’ loss to Nick Kyrgios
“For the next match we will come up with a different format, I think I would leave the whole court for Nick, but I would take two serves. I think it would even out our level a little more.”
: Australia pic.twitter.com/4HsfQ2e9vD— TennisONE App (@TennisONEApp) January 2, 2026
The event attracted harsh criticism before and after the game. Some observers have warned that staging such a match risks trivializing the women’s game and overshadowing its competitive achievements. The contest brought back memories of the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes,” where Billie Jean King famously defeated Bobby Riggs in a match that carried significant social weight.
Billie Jean King herself offered a sharp look on the purpose and impact of the Dubai exhibition. “King herself said the Dubai exhibition lacked the stakes and context of her historic meeting.” Unlike her match, she indicated that recent events lacked the larger meaning that defined her 1973 victory.
Other prominent voices in tennis, including former world number one in doubles Rennae Stubbs, questioned the motivation behind the Dubai match. “Others, including former world number one doubles player Rennae Stubbs, called the event a publicity stunt and a money-driven spectacle.” Despite these views, both Kyrgios and Sabalenka remain steadfast in their view that the exhibition succeeded in its main goal: to get people talking about tennis.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
January 2, 2026
