Clunky, cringe and costly: Kyrgios defeats Sabalenka in Battle of the Sexes
Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios arrived on a camel, while Aryna Sabalenka made an entrance in a bedazzled overcoat for the exhibition match in Dubai on Monday.
As Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios warmed up for their Battle of the Sexes spectacle, the two shared a smile and laugh across the net.
If you’ve ever watched Sabalenka, the women’s world No.1 and a four-time grand slam singles champion, warm-up, you know she never smiles at her opponents.
Aryna Sabalenka enters Coca Cola Stadium for her Battle of the Sexes match against Nick Kyrgios.Credit: Getty Images
But when the player on the other side of the net is ranked world No.673 and arrives on a camel, and you enter the stadium in a bedazzled overcoat to Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger, you know you can’t take yourself too seriously.
The extravagant entrance was an homage to the 1973 Battle of the Sexes between Billie Jean king and Bobby Riggs, where the latter arrived on a rickshaw pulled by women, while King made a Cleopatra-style entrance on golden litter carried by men.
Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs at a press conference for the Battle of the Sexes in 1973.Credit: AP
But the nod to King’s historic victory didn’t make the match any easier to watch, especially as Kyrgios went on to win 6-3, 6-3 without having to try his hardest.
The fact King didn’t make an appearance at the Dubai spectacle says enough about what the tennis legend thought of the show at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on Monday morning (Australia time).
After all, King never wanted to play Riggs. She only agreed to do it after Australian Margaret Court lost to him in straight sets four months earlier.
Women’s world no.1 Aryna Sabalenka serves to Nick Kyrgios.Credit: AP
When Sabalenka won the toss and elected to serve, it was clear neither player knew how seriously to take the match. The answer: serious if you’re winning, not so serious if you’re losing.
