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Jay Feely, a former NFL kicker who is running for Congress in Arizona, was among those who weighed in on the panned “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match between Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka.
The match featured Sabalenka having an advantage to level the playing field as her side of the court was 10% smaller than her opponent’s. Feely on Sunday made a point about men playing in women’s sports.
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Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka embrace at the net at the end of their Battle of the Sexes match in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (Christopher Pike/Pool Photo via AP)
“Never believe the absolute garbage coming from ignorant liberals that letting men compete with women isn’t unfair to the women,” he wrote on X in response to the fight.
The name “Battle of the Sexes” was borrowed from the historic 1973 match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. King won the match in four straight sets and helped spark efforts to start a women’s tour and get equal pay in tennis.
The match didn’t seem to have the same effect on fans.
Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios laugh ahead of their Battle of the Sexes tennis match in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (Amr Alfiky/Pool Photo via AP)
TENNIS STAR ARYNA SABALENKA SAYS FEMALE ATHLETES FIGHTING TRANS COMPETITORS ‘JUST NOT FAIR FOR WOMEN’
Sabalenka and Kyrgios both defended the match, which the Australian won in straight sets.
“I don’t understand how people were able to find anything negative in this event,” she said. “I played great tennis. It was an entertaining match. He won the match, but I showed great tennis… It was a great match. It was interesting to watch.”
Kyrgios credited Sabalenka for keeping himself on the court.
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“There’s nothing but positives to take away from this,” Kyrgios said, adding that Sabalenka was hanging with someone who had beaten Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray in his career. “I had to work for it. I had to sweat. I had to play. I had to run. It wasn’t easy. Nothing came easy. So let’s put that narrative out there instead of all the negativity.”
