By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, January 3, 2026Photo credit score: Cincinnati Open Fb
Iga Swiatek didn’t watch final month’s Battle of the Sexes conflict between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios.
The Wimbledon winner says she believes the WTA and ATP Excursions can complement slightly than compete with one another.
Requested her response to the Battle of the Sexes, Swiatek stated it delivered leisure worth, however asserts “girls’s tennis stands by itself.”
I feel for positive it attracted, like, quite a lot of consideration. It was an leisure, however I wouldn’t say that had something to do with, like, social change or any vital matters,” Swiatek stated of Kyrgios’ win over Sabalenka. “I feel the title was simply the identical because the one from the Billie Jean King match in ’73. That’s it. There have been no extra similarities as a result of I really feel like girls’s tennis stands by itself proper now.
“We now have so many nice athletes and nice tales to current, we don’t essentially must, like, examine to males’s tennis. It’s a very totally different story.”
Former Olympic gold-medal champion Belinda Bencic stated the title of the Sabalenka-Kyrgio exhibition was a bit deceptive in her thoughts.
“My private opinion is that it shouldn’t have been known as Battle of the Sexes, as a result of that was one thing else,” Bencic stated. “Yeah, it was a pleasant exhibition.”
World No. 2 Swiatek, who leads Group Poland at this week’s United Cup alongside long-time good friend Hubert Hurkacz, stated occasions like United Cup play to tennis’ power as one of many solely skilled sports activities the place women and men can play side-by-side.
“I feel, actually, yeah, there doesn’t have to be any competitors,” Swiatek stated. “I feel really occasions like this one, United Cup, brings tennis all collectively, and WTA followers and ATP followers can watch this occasion with a lot pleasure.
“Seeing additionally singles gamers that often don’t have house to play blended doubles collectively, enjoying these type of matches, I feel that is really what makes our sport way more attention-grabbing and higher.
“So yeah, I haven’t watched the match. I solely learn about the way it regarded like. However I feel, yeah, it was for positive good leisure and an XO match between these two.”
