ARYNA SABALENKA has called for a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ rematch with Nick Kyrgios, but with tweaks to the rules.
Australia‘s Kyrgios beat Belarus’ Sabalenka in straight sets (6-3, 6-3) on Sunday in Dubai.
Kyrgios, 30, is ranked 671st in the Men’s rankings right now, but he has spent the last couple of years largely inactive due to knee and wrist problems.
He was as high as seventh in the rankings in 2022 – the year he reached the Wimbledon final, losing to Novak Djokovic.
Sabalenka, 27, has won the last two editions of the US Open and is the current number one Women’s seed.
Despite her loss to Kyrgios, she admitted she would like the rematch yet proposed some rule changes.
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She said: “I think I would definitely do it again. I love rematches and I don’t like to leave it the way it is.
“I think for the next match, we’ll come up with a different format.
“Before the match, I didn’t realise I had to adjust so well and it was a bit tricky for me as well.
“I think I would give the full court for me, but I would take two serves and that would even our level a bit more.
“And as I always say, if you’re not losing you’re learning, and I learn a lot about this game.
“I know Nick better as a player and as a person as well, so I feel like I know how to play against him and I would do it again – a rematch.”
Should a rematch happen, it would be the fifth edition of ‘Battle of the Sexes.’
The first time was in May 1973 when 55-year-old American and former men’s champion Bobby Riggs defeated Australia’s Margaret Court (6-2, 6-1) in California.
Four months later, Billie Jean King beat Riggs in straight sets (6-4, 6-3, 6-3) in Houston.
In 1992, in another all-American affair in Las Vegas, Jimmy Connors defeated Martina Navratilova (7-5, 6-2).
The latest of course was the match between Kyrgios and Sabalenka, who has hopes of winning should it happen again – albeit under different rules.
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