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Ahead of their Battle of the Sexes tennis match later this month, Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios both said they do not believe trans athletes should compete against biological women.
The tennis stars are playing an exhibition match that will feature modifications, with Kyrgios getting just one serve and hitting a smaller side of the court.
The changes make sense given Sabalenka’s thoughts on women facing biological males in sports.
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Aryna Sabalenka reacts in the women’s singles final against Amanda Anisimova (USA) (not pictured) at the 2025 US Open tennis championships at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. (Mike Frey/Imagn Images)
“I have nothing against them, but I feel they still have a huge advantage over women,” Sabalenka told Piers Morgan on Tuesday. “I think it’s just not fair for women to face biological men. It’s not fair. The women works their whole life to reach her limit and then she has to face a man who is biologically much stronger. So for me, I don’t agree with that kind of thing in sports.”
Kyrgios added that he felt “the exact same way.”
Sabalenka’s thoughts echo those of tennis legend Martina Navratilova, who, despite numerous criticisms from President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, has maintained her position that girls and women should not face biological men.
The name of the Sabalenka-Kyrgios exhibition was borrowed from the 1973 match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, which King won in straight sets at the Houston Astrodome.
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts against Amanda Anisimova of the United States during the women’s finals of the US Open tennis championships Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
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Since the end of the 2022 tennis season, Kyrgios has played in just five events, mainly due to injuries – one in 2023 and four in 2025. Since then, he has made a name for himself in the broadcast booth.
“I can’t wait to get back on court,” Kyrgios said in an Instagram story. “Honestly, I feel great. I never thought I’d be back in this position, being able to travel the world, see my fans and play some great tennis.”
Due to his lack of play, Kyrgios, once ranked as high as No. 13, is currently ranked at No. 652.
Both Sabalenka and Kyrgios played exhibition matches in New York earlier this week. Sabalenka faced Naomi Osaka, while Kyrgios went up against Tommy Paul.
(Susan Mullane-Imagn Photos)
Sabalenka is a four-time Grand Slam champion, including each of the last two US Opens. She also reached the finals of both this year’s Australian and French Opens.
