Battle of the Sexes: Billie Jean King says Aryna Sabalenka’s match with Nick Kyrgios was ‘different’ than her match with Bobby Riggs
Some view the showdown between four-time Grand Slam singles champion Sabalenka and Australia’s former world No. 13 Kyrgios as harmless entertainment, but others believe it could demean the women’s game if Sabalenka loses.
This exhibition match will be a best-of-three-set format, with a 10-point tiebreaker if a tiebreaker is reached.
Competition organizer Evolve said that data shows that female players move about 9% slower than male players on average, each player can only get one serve, and Sabalenka’s court area will be reduced by 9%.
“I played Bobby in three out of five sets, and me playing on the court didn’t change anything,” King recalled.
“I said, ‘Listen, I just hit the ball or I won’t hit the ball.’ Bobby loved that.”
Riggs, who died in 1995 aged 77, came just months after King’s resounding 6-1 6-2 victory over world number one Margaret Court in the first “Battle of the Sexes” match.
The match was held the same year King founded the Women’s Tennis Association, three years after a group of players known as “The Original 9” broke away from the sport’s organization.
It also occurred during the era of Title IX legislation in the United States, which prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex in any school or educational program and gave equal benefits, opportunities and treatment to male and female sports teams.
“My experience was really political. And with it was rough, cultural stuff,” the 82-year-old king added.
“I knew I had to beat him to achieve social change. I had a lot of reasons to win.”
