Jan 3 (Reuters) – World number two Iga Swiatek said women’s tennis was strong enough to thrive without controversial gender-based singles matches like the recent “Battle of the Sexes” between Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka.
Former Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios defeated women’s world number one Sabalenka 6-3 6-3 in the Dubai exhibition on Sunday despite several rule tweaks implemented by the organisers to level the playing field.
Critics had warned that the match, a nod to the 1973 original “Battle of the Sexes” in which women’s trailblazer Billie Jean King downed the then 55-year-old former Grand Slam winner Bobby Riggs, risked trivialising the women’s game.
Six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek said she chose not to watch the Dubai contest, which King said lacked the stakes of her historic clash and critics dismissed as a publicity stunt and cash grab.
“It attracted a lot of attention. It was entertainment, but I wouldn’t say that had anything to do with social change or any important topics,” Swiatek told reporters at the season-opening mixed team United Cup in Sydney.
“The name was just the same … that’s it. There were no similarities because women’s tennis stands on its own right now. We have so many great athletes and great stories to present, we don’t necessarily need to compare to men’s tennis.”
Sabalenka, who will be among the favourites at this month’s Australian Open, had argued after her defeat to Kyrgios that her intention was to help the sport grow and showcase an exhibition that could almost rival a major in excitement.
Swiatek said the January 2-11 United Cup in Sydney and Perth featuring 18 nations was a better way to achieve that.
“It’s a totally different story. There doesn’t need to be any competition. Events like this one, the United Cup, brings tennis all together, and WTA fans and ATP fans can watch this event with so much excitement,” the Pole added.
“Seeing singles players that usually don’t have space to play mixed doubles together, playing these kind of matches, I think this is actually what makes our sport much more interesting and better.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
Comments