‘Mine was for social change, this is not’ – King on Battle of the Sexes

‘Mine was for social change, this is not’ – King distances herself from Sabalenka vs Kyrgios ‘Battle of the Sexes’

Tennis icon Billie Jean King has dismissed comparisons between her historic 1973 Battle of the Sexes clash with Bobby Riggs and the upcoming Aryna Sabalenka vs Nick Kyrgios exhibition match, stating: “Ours was about social change. This one is not.”

King famously defeated Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in a match watched by 90 million people worldwide. Held in Houston, the encounter was a landmark moment for gender equality in sports, taking place during a transformative period for women’s rights and coinciding with the rise of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the introduction of Title IX legislation in the United States.

In contrast, Sabalenka and Kyrgios will face off in Dubai on 28 December under the same “Battle of the Sexes” label — but King says the context is vastly different.

“The only similarity is that one is a boy and one is a girl. That’s it,” said King. “Mine was political. I had a lot of reasons to win. I played Bobby straight up — no court adjustments.”

The exhibition match will feature several rule modifications:

• Best of three sets with a 10-point tie-break decider

• Sabalenka will play on a court 9% smaller, to reflect average movement stats between genders

• Each player will only have one serve per point

Organisers say the changes are based on data, but critics argue that such tweaks risk undermining the credibility of women’s tennis.

Sabalenka: ‘We’re here to have fun’

Billie Jean King won all four Grand Slam singles titles, including six at Wimbledon

Speaking to the BBC, world number one Sabalenka, 27, defended the match, stating:

“We’re there to have fun and bring great tennis. Whoever wins, wins.”

While some see the match as light-hearted entertainment, others warn that a defeat could unfairly damage perceptions of the WTA and its top-ranked player.

Kyrgios’ involvement questioned

The inclusion of Nick Kyrgios, 30, has also raised eyebrows. The Australian, who was the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up, has faced criticism in the past — including an assault case in 2021 and a previous association with controversial influencer Andrew Tate.

Despite this, the match is going ahead and will be broadcast live on the BBC, bringing the historic ‘Battle of the Sexes’ concept back into the spotlight — albeit with none of the political or cultural stakes of King’s era-defining match in 1973.