Nick Kyrgios has declared himself very confident of victory ahead of a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match that will pit him against world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka this coming January.
The Greek Australian tennis player is locked in for a friendly clash against Sabalenka in Hong Kong during the leadup to the 2026 Australian Open.
Kyrgios shed light on the exhibition match among a series of topics on his career in an interview with fellow tennis player Alexander Bublik, expressing great enthusiasm to face the three-time Grand Slam champion.
“She’s awesome, by the way. Getting to know her, she’s definitely a character. But I’m super excited for that [the match],” the Greek Australian said during the interview.
Kyrgios stated his belief Sabalenka is the sort of player who believes she will win the bout before saying to Bublik:
“She’s not going to beat me, bro.”
Kyrgios has been stricken with injuries for large parts of recent years, with his last professional match being at the Miami Open in March.
Despite the lack of match fitness, Kyrgios stressed that he should still be able to win the game when it comes around.
“Do you really think I have to try 100 per cent?” Kyrgios added.
He clarified he will “definitely” try and put in effort to win as the representative of the men’s side in the game, making an early prediction of a 6-2 win.
“Our serves, women can’t return, then we can just chip and drop shot,” he said, adding he would happily choose Bublik to represent the men.
The Kazakh tennis star reiterated that Kyrgios could definitely be beat if he does not put in an effort, with Kyrgios stating:
“I think I’m going to be OK. I’m going to try. I don’t want her to win.”
Sabalenka is currently chasing her fourth gland slam at the 2025 US Open, with her set to face Jessica Pegula on Friday morning in search of a spot in the final.
