Modified Court And One Serve Each - Sabalenka V Kyrgios Polarises Opinion

More than 50 years ago, Billie Jean King faced Bobby Riggs successful a 'Battle of nan Sexes' match, attracting a worldwide tv assemblage of 90 cardinal and going down successful taste folklore pinch nan assistance of a Hollywood depiction.

Now, different loop of their era-defining conflict has been announced - featuring 2 of nan astir recognisable faces among nan modern harvest successful Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios.

Sabalenka, nan women's world number one, is group to look Kyrgios, a arguable fig now classed 652nd aft being beset by injuries, successful Dubai connected 28 December.

BBC Sport analyses why nan arena is taking place, really it will look different successful an effort for an adjacent title and what is astatine liking for some players.

If immoderate female is going to hit Kyrgios past nan starring subordinate successful nan world is champion placed to do it.

Sabalenka, 27, has been nan ascendant subordinate connected nan WTA Tour for nan past 18 months, underlining her talent by winning nan 4th Grand Slam title of her profession astatine nan US Open successful September.

Kyrgios, 30, has played only 5 matches successful 2025 arsenic he tries to rebuild his profession aft a wrist problem threatened to extremity it.

The accumulation will beryllium nan champion of 3 sets, pinch a 10 constituent tie-breaker if it goes to a decider.

BBC Sport has learned nan tribunal will beryllium modified to level nan playing section betwixt nan pair.

According to Evolve, information shows women players move astir 9% slower connected mean than men. Therefore, nan dimensions of Sabalenka’s broadside of nan tribunal will beryllium 9% smaller.

Each subordinate will only person 1 service - aimed to restrict Kyrgios' powerfulness and velocity advantage.

Kyrgios, who served astatine 143mph astatine Wimbledon successful 2019, is nan eighth starring ATP subordinate successful position of aces per lucifer complete nan people of his career.

However, he has landed 71% of his first serves this year. Sabalenka has made 62%.

Sabalenka has nan 2nd fastest service connected grounds successful nan women's crippled - 133mph successful nan 2018 WTA Elite Trophy.

Sabalenka has been 1 of nan astir effective servers connected nan WTA Tour this season, sitting successful nan apical 5 for work games won, and besides possesses powerful groundstrokes.

The Belarusian has nan expertise to deed done her opponents - though is still prone to being erratic from nan baseline done double faults and chaotic returning.

Over nan past season, wherever she has won 59 of her 71 matches and claimed 4 titles, Sabalenka has besides looked to present much assortment into her crippled pinch drop-shots and coming guardant to nan net.

Going toe-to-toe pinch Kyrgios from nan baseline is improbable to beryllium productive, truthful trying to make him move astir nan tribunal - peculiarly fixed his fittingness worries - would look to beryllium nan smart play.

"I genuinely deliberation that I'm going to win. I'll decidedly spell retired location and I'll effort my champion to footwear his ass," said Sabalenka.

Tennis fans person been divided into 2 camps since rumblings of this accumulation began astatine nan US Open successful September.

Some deliberation it is simply a spot of harmless intermezo which will successfully pull nan eyeballs of a newer, younger assemblage successful nan property of social-media content.

Others judge it is simply a misguided task and sets up an opportunity for women's tennis to beryllium belittled if Sabalenka loses.

King's triumph complete erstwhile Wimbledon champion Riggs - a self-proclaimed chauvinist aged 55 - was a landmark successful nan conflict for gender equality and laid nan way for adjacent salary astatine nan apical of nan game.

The latest recreation of this concept, which was confirmed connected Tuesday, is nan brainchild of nan Evolve agency which represents some Sabalenka and Kyrgios.

"This is astir respect, rivalry and re-imaging what equality successful athletics tin look like," Evolve co-founder Stuart Duguid, who group up nan patient pinch four-time awesome champion Naomi Osaka, told BBC Sport.

Organisers are hoping to pull a sell-out 17,000 crowd astatine nan Coca-Cola Arena successful Dubai, while plans to watercourse nan action worldwide are said to beryllium precocious and could beryllium confirmed adjacent week.

The lucifer has not been sanctioned by either of nan master tours - nan Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and nan Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) - meaning location are nary ranking points available.

It is not known if nan victor will person a rate prize, aliases whether nan brace are being fixed quality fees aliases earning a stock of nan revenue.

"The conflict is for pride, curated by progressive innovation," Duguid added.

While nan financial reward and boost to her floor plan is apt to beryllium significant, galore wonderment what Sabalenka stands to summation from an on-court position - particularly if she loses to a man who has not been fresh for a agelong time.

For 2022 Wimbledon semi-finalist Kyrgios, he manages to enactment applicable contempt his continued absence from nan ATP Tour and firmly successful a spotlight he has consistently shown he loves to beryllium in.

Kyrgios has agelong been a polarising fig successful nan sport, fixed his chequered history connected and disconnected nan court.

The Australian has received aggregate sanctions complete nan people of his profession for inappropriate behaviour and fiery outbursts.

There person besides been allegations of home unit and accusations of sexist comments.

Kyrgios pleaded blameworthy to assaulting an ex-girlfriend successful 2023, past had to region himself from arguable influencer Andrew Tate successful 2024.

His caller comments astir playing Sabalenka - witheringly questioning connected 1 podcast if he would moreover person to "try 100%" to triumph - has led to concerns nan arena will substance misogyny.

In a property merchandise announcing nan event, Kyrgios' reside was markedly differently.

"When nan world number 1 challenges you, you reply nan call. I've sewage monolithic respect for Aryna; she's a powerhouse and a existent champion," he said.

Sabalenka does not look to deliberation nan lucifer will person immoderate antagonistic effect connected nan cognition of women's sports, simply saying astatine nan US Open she thinks it is simply a "cool idea".

Catherine Whitaker, co-host of nan Tennis Podcast, believes nan opposite.

"I spot perfectly thing to beryllium gained for women's tennis - I spot only bleakness," she told BBC Sport.

"It's a crass commercialized task and a conveyance for 1 of nan astir outspoken misogynists successful tennis who conscionable wants attention.

"If Sabalenka wins, she thumps a man who is unfit and has been a full irrelevance for a number of years. What does she win? Nothing. Unless she wins 6-0 6-0, group will only find ammunition to occurrence astatine women's tennis.

"If Kyrgios wins, he and others of nan aforesaid mind will declare it legitimises everything he's already spewing out. It's disgusting to beryllium giving him a platform.

"I find it utterly ludicrous this is going to beryllium happening successful 2025."