The tennis world is buzzing with anticipation as Aryna Sabalenka, the dominant women’s world No. 1, prepares to face off against the ever-unpredictable Nick Kyrgios in a modern-day “Battle of the Sexes.” This high-profile exhibition match, set for Sunday, December 28, 2025, at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, is reigniting memories of Billie Jean King’s historic 1973 triumph over Bobby Riggs. But while the echoes of history are unmistakable, this clash is carving its own unique path—one filled with spectacle, innovation, and a fair share of controversy.
Sabalenka, fresh off a stellar 2025 season in which she defended her US Open title and reached the finals of both the French and Australian Opens, has now held the top spot in women’s tennis for an impressive 70 weeks. Her reign marks her as the fifth-longest-serving No. 1 of the century—a testament to her relentless consistency and power. On the other side of the net, Kyrgios arrives with a different story. Once a Wimbledon finalist and a fixture in the ATP elite, he’s spent most of the past two years battling injuries, dropping to 671st in the rankings after playing just five singles matches in 2025. Yet, if there’s one thing fans have learned about Kyrgios, it’s that counting him out is always a risky bet.
The format for this much-hyped exhibition isn’t standard fare. Organizers have introduced a series of rule modifications designed to level the playing field between the two competitors. Each player gets only one serve per point—an attempt to neutralize Kyrgios’s trademark power. Sabalenka’s side of the court is reduced by nine percent, a nod to data suggesting women’s players move about nine percent slower than their male counterparts. If the match goes to a deciding set, a 10-point tiebreak will determine the winner. These tweaks, organizers say, are all about creating a compelling contest where strategy, adaptability, and mental toughness take center stage.
For Sabalenka, the challenge is as much mental as physical. “This event is really unpredictable. I don’t know what to expect and that’s what I love because this is the feeling that you chase when you play sport,” she told reporters in the build-up, before adding with characteristic confidence: “Me.” Her approach is about more than just winning. “I love to challenge myself and this is a huge challenge, especially playing against Nick, a guy who is unpredictable and crazy,” she said. “It’s great training for me and a great message to the girls out there. I hope they will see how strong and tough I am by playing against a guy.”
Kyrgios, meanwhile, is embracing both the chaos and the spotlight. Known for his mercurial style and showmanship, he’s candid about what makes him dangerous—even to the game’s greatest. “My strength has always been my unpredictability, even on the men’s tour,” Kyrgios told BBC Sport. “Guys like Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have struggled with not understanding how to play me at certain times because even I don’t know what I’m going to do at certain times.”
Despite his injury struggles, Kyrgios’s confidence remains unshaken. “I feel like I’m going to win,” he declared. “I haven’t won a Grand Slam but I’ve walked out in a Grand Slam final. This is something completely different, I don’t know how my body or my mind will react. It’s a completely different energy.” He’s aware, too, that the modified rules could tilt the balance. “You’re taking my strength completely out of it,” he said, referencing the single-serve rule. “Obviously she has a great serve herself, but from the back of the court things are a bit more even. The men’s game is heavily reliant and dominated by first serve percentage and holding serve quite easy. So if you take that away the game becomes a bit more of a grind from the baseline and I think that slightly goes in her favour.”
Beyond the technicalities and the trash talk, the event is stirring debate among fans, pundits, and even tennis legends. Billie Jean King herself weighed in, drawing a clear distinction between her era-defining match and this Dubai spectacle. “The only similarity is that one is a boy and one is a girl. That’s it,” King told BBC Sport. “Ours was about social change; culturally, where we were in 1973. This one is not.” King’s match was a catalyst for gender equality in sport, leading to equal prize money at the top of the game. This time, the focus is on entertainment and drawing new audiences, with both players and organizers downplaying any political undertones.
Sabalenka, for her part, is eager to keep the spotlight on tennis itself. “We are helping tennis to grow,” she said. “It’s fun, it’s challenging and I think that’s what people want to see. It’s not going to be an easy match for Nick. I’m going to be there competing and showing women are strong, powerful and good entertainment. He’s in a lose-lose situation. I’m in a win-win situation.”
The event has its critics. Some, like world No. 12 Casper Ruud, have dismissed the format as “gimmicky,” questioning whether true equality can be achieved with altered court dimensions and serving rules. Others worry that a Sabalenka loss could be used to belittle women’s tennis. Sabalenka, however, is unfazed. “I am not putting myself at any risk. We’re there to have fun and bring great tennis. Whoever wins, wins,” she told BBC Sport. “It’s so obvious that the man is biologically stronger than the woman, but it’s not about that. This event is only going to help bring women’s tennis to a higher level.”
The off-court dynamic between the two stars adds another layer of intrigue. Though friends away from competition, both have vowed to set friendship aside for the match. Their banter has been light but pointed—Kyrgios joked, “She’s the type of player who genuinely thinks she’s going to win. She’s not going to beat me. Do you really think I have to try 100 percent?” Sabalenka shot back, “I’m going to kick his a**,” and teased that if the ATP had wanted a real champion, they would have picked Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz.
As the Coca-Cola Arena’s 17,000 seats fill up—tickets ranging from £100 to over £600—it’s clear the public appetite for this spectacle is immense. The match will be broadcast live on BBC One at 15:45 GMT, and streamed nationally on Tennis Channel 2 via Fubo, ensuring fans around the world can tune in for every unpredictable moment.
With the match set to begin at 11 a.m. ET (8 p.m. local time in Dubai), all eyes are on Sabalenka and Kyrgios as they step onto the court, ready to test not only their skills but also the boundaries of tennis tradition. Whether this Battle of the Sexes becomes a touchstone moment or simply an entertaining sideshow, one thing is certain: tennis fans are in for a show they won’t soon forget.