From the moment Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios’ “Battle of the Sexes” was announced, skepticism flooded in, despite little reason to expect anything but spectacle. Sabalenka’s defeat, entirely predictable given physical differences, sparked unfair criticism aimed at women’s tennis. Now, as a new season approaches, the Belarusian flips the script, embracing the noise and calling for a rematch with Kyrgios.

Before starting her official 2026 season at the WTA 500 Brisbane, Sabalenka made her stance clear. She confirmed that she would be open to playing again.

“Well, I think I would definitely do it again. I love revenges, and I don’t like to leave it the way it is,” she said, signaling interest in another match against Nick Kyrgios.

The world No. 1 also admitted the original format was tougher than expected. She explained that some rules caught her by surprise. “Because before the match, I didn’t realise that I have to adjust as well, and it was a bit tricky for me as well,” Sabalenka said, reflecting on the experience.

Rather than showing frustration, Sabalenka focused on improvement. She believes the rematch should look different. While she accepted the court size used in Dubai, she felt the serving restriction played too big a role in the outcome.

“I think I would keep the full court for Nick, but I would take two serves. I think that would even our level a bit more,” she suggested. Her proposal was based on balance, not complaint, and showed her competitive mindset.

Sabalenka framed the loss as part of growth. “As I always say, you’re not losing, you’re learning, and I learnt a lot about this game,” she said. She also noted personal insights. “Now, I know better Nick as a player, and as a person as well.”

The match itself included clear handicaps. Sabalenka’s side of the court was reduced by about 9 percent in both length and width. Both players were limited to one serve per point. These rules aimed to reduce the physical gap between ATP and WTA players.

Despite those measures, Kyrgios controlled most of the contest. Sabalenka briefly raised hopes when she led 3-1 in the second set. Kyrgios quickly responded, winning five straight games to close the match in around 75 minutes.

After the match, both players showed respect. Kyrgios called Sabalenka a “hell of a competitor.” Sabalenka said she enjoyed making him feel “tight” during key moments. Their exchange highlighted mutual appreciation despite the result.

The event sparked debate across tennis. Billie Jean King distanced her historic 1973 match from the Dubai exhibition. Still, Sabalenka felt the criticism was unnecessary. She stood by the experience and shared her raw thoughts with clarity and confidence.

Sabalenka questions the negative reactions following the Battle of the Sexes

The Sabalenka vs. Kyrgios “Battle of the Sexes” match put tennis in front of a huge global audience. The sport has been off the radar lately, and the exhibition brought attention when few events were happening.

The match itself was brief and somewhat underwhelming. It is not likely to live long in the memory as a classic tennis contest. However, it generated enough interest to get people talking about the sport.

The event became a platform for some to push an agenda unrelated to tennis. Tennis has long been a leader in equality, with equal prize money for men and women. The sport continues to set a standard while others try to catch up.

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Despite that, some critics built narratives around the match that had little relevance. The exhibition was meant to be light entertainment during a Christmas week that lacked live tennis.

After the match, Sabalenka addressed the criticism. “I honestly…I don’t understand how people were able to find something negative in this event,” she said. She expressed surprise at the negativity surrounding what was meant to be fun.

She highlighted the quality of her performance. “I think for WTA, I think I just showed that…I mean I was playing great tennis. It was an entertaining match and yeah, he won this match, but I showed great tennis.”

Sabalenka also stressed the competitive nature of the match. “It wasn’t like six love, six love. It was a great fight. It was interesting to watch. It brought more eyes on tennis.”

The exhibition also attracted attention from notable figures. “Legends were watching this match, pretty big people were messaging me wishing all the best and telling me that they’re going to be watching from all different areas of life,” she said.

She emphasized the event’s broader purpose. “I feel like we just brought more attention to our sport and I don’t see how it can be bad. How you can talk negatively about this?”

Sabalenka added that the match showed tennis in a new light. “The idea behind it is to help our sport grow and show tennis from a different side – that tennis events can be more fun, more entertaining and we can make it almost as big as a Grand Slam match.”

Looking forward, the question remains. While the match was mostly entertainment, will another “Battle of the Sexes” bring meaningful changes to tennis, or remain just a spectacle for fans and TV audiences?