- Exhibition match slated for January 2026 in Hong Kong
- Kyrgios declared he wouldn’t need to ‘try 100 per cent’
- Now Sabalenka has responded to injury-prone Aussie
Aryna Sabalenka has clapped back at Nick Kyrgios’ comments that he would ‘easily’ beat her in a Battle of the Sexes exhibition match, stating she plans to ‘kick his a***’.
It comes as the women’s world No.1 and tennis bad boy Kyrgios are set to face off in the lead-up to next year’s Australian Open, possibly in Hong Kong.
The match was spruiked recently in an interview between Kyrgios and Kazakhstan player Alexander Bublik, which was later shared on social media.
‘Obviously, we are the same agency, me and Sabalenka,’ Kyrgios said in the clip.
‘She’s awesome, by the way. Getting to know her, she’s definitely a character.
‘But I’m super excited for that [the match].’
Aryna Sabalenka has clapped back at Nick Kyrgios’ comments that he would ‘easily’ beat her in a Battle of the Sexes exhibition match, stating she plans to ‘kick his arse’
The Belarusian superstar and Kyrgios are set to face off in the lead-up to next year’s Australian Open, possibly in Hong Kong
When Bublik suggested Sabalenka could produce a boilover, Kyrgios quipped: ‘She’s not going to beat me, bro.’
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist also stated Sabalenka is ‘the type of player that genuinely thinks she’s going to win’.
Following her semi-final win at the US Open against local hope Jessica Pegula, Sabalenka was asked about the upcoming match with Kyrgios.
‘It’s a cool idea,’ she told reporters. ‘It’s going to be spectacular to watch. It’s going to be fun, especially against someone like Nick.
‘He said in another interview, ‘I genuinely think I’m going to win’. Well, I’ll definitely go out there and try my best to kick his a***.’
She added the match-up would put ‘a lot of pressure on Nick’.
Multiple sources have reported the match will be played under non-traditional rules deliberately designed to make it more competitive.
Notably, Kyrgios is likely to only have first serves, and his side of the court could be smaller.
Speaking on a recent podcast, Kyrgios boldly stated he won’t have to ‘try 100 per cent’ when he faces women’s world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka
Sabalenka is a three-time grand slam champion, having won the 2023 and 2024 Australian Open titles, as well as the US Open last year
Kyrgios, 30, has not played a professional match since the Miami Open in March and his current ATP ranking is 651.
Earlier this week Kyrgios also told Bublik that women ‘can’t return’ thumping serves from male players – and he wouldn’t have to ‘try 100 per cent’ on court against Sabalenka.
Whether the exhibition match actually goes ahead remains to be seen given Kyrgios’ ongoing injuries.
He has not played a match since March and withdrew from Wimbledon, the French Open and the US Open this year.
Sabalenka is a three-time grand slam champion, having won the 2023 and 2024 Australian Open titles, as well as the US Open last year.
She is set to take on American Amanda Anisimova in the final at Flushing Meadows on Sunday (AEST).
In 1973, women’s tennis icon Billie Jean King and six-time grand slam champion Bobby Riggs famously took to the court with gender bragging rights on the line.
In a landmark moment, King defeated 55-year-old Riggs 6-4 6-4 6-4.
Riggs earlier defeated Margaret Court, who at the time was the No.1-ranked woman in the world.
