Gender Battle Controversy: Sabalenka Claims Attention Comparable to a Grand Slam, Kyrgios Accuses Media of Stirring Division

In the aftermath of the "gender battle," when world number one Sabalenka and Kyrgios shook hands at the center of Dubai's Coca-Cola Arena, which seats 17,000, they likely saw it as just a highly watched exhibition match. However, this duel, dubbed the "gender battle," sparked intense debate within the tennis community and broader society after it concluded.

Supporters view it as a successful entertainment event that attracted new audiences to tennis; critics argue that the match undermined years of efforts by women's tennis to achieve equality.

The sharpest criticism came from tennis legend Billie Jean King herself, who stated before the match, "The only similarity is that one is a boy and the other is a girl. That's it." She further emphasized, "Our 1973 match was about social change and was a product of its cultural context. This one is not." Her remarks set the tone for the debate.

Former WTA doubles world number one Stosur bluntly commented on social media, "Let's face it, this was a 'money grab' orchestrated by both sides and their teams."

Facing the criticism, Sabalenka firmly defended her decision and the value of the match at the post-match press conference.

She said, "I honestly don’t understand how people can find anything negative in this match. I believe I showed high-level tennis for the WTA; it was a very entertaining game."

From Sabalenka’s perspective, many overlooked the positive impact of the match: it drew more attention to tennis, even legends watched the duel, and many influential figures from various fields were highly engaged. She admitted, "So I feel like we just brought more attention to the sport, and I don’t see anything wrong with that or understand why there would be negative feedback."

She believes the match’s influence rivals that of a Grand Slam final: "I believe the attention this match generated is comparable to a Grand Slam final."

Kyrgios was also puzzled by the criticism and responded to doubts with his characteristic confidence.

“Let me remind everyone, I am one of only 16 players in the world to have beaten all of the ‘Big Four’ — Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal,” Kyrgios emphasized during the press conference.

He tried to shift the narrative focus: "She just proved she can compete against an opponent who has beaten the greatest players in history. Only positives can come from this."

Because the match used special rules favoring Sabalenka, Kyrgios stated the contest was not easy: "I had to give my all, sweat it out, play seriously, and run across the court. It wasn’t an easy match."

Kyrgios directed his criticism at the media, accusing them of fueling negativity and division.

“The media just loves spreading negativity for the dumbest reasons,” he bluntly charged. Kyrgios believes the media completely controls what the public sees: "You are the ones who control what is fed to the public. It’s you people who are obsessed with spreading negativity for ridiculous reasons."

He added, "The hate against me... I just want to play matches, challenge myself, and compete against great players like Sabalenka. You’re the ones creating this, not me."

Sabalenka and Kyrgios’s rebuttals sparked heated online discussions, with a former female hockey player writing a column in Perth Now sharply criticizing from a female athlete’s perspective: "Sabalenka has caused enormous and arrogant harm to female athletes worldwide. This match does nothing to help women fighting for equal pay, respect, and opportunities. Instead, it reinforces the tired, lazy narrative that women’s sports are inherently inferior to men’s."

At the same time, some supporters believe such crossover matches help raise overall attention to tennis. One netizen commented, "This match raised tens of millions for charity! Isn’t that its value and success? From the start, this was never some fated battle; it was purely an exhibition show. Why drag it into the 1973 gender battle? They are completely different types of matches, so please stop debating this. It was a visual feast for many fans online. We should thank these two players—they are courageous and very talented."

Was this "gender battle" truly a success or a failure? Perhaps everyone has their own answer. But I would say, if Billie Jean King's 1973 victory was most meaningful for breaking down a wall, then this Dubai night 52 years later is an attempt to build a bridge—whether that bridge leads to understanding or deeper division remains to be seen.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Lu Xiaotian)