American former tennis player Steve Johnson recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming exhibition match between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios. This match will be a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ and is scheduled for Dec. 28, 2025, at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.
The exhibition match will feature modified rules, allowing Kyrgios to serve only once and requiring him to aim for a smaller target on the court. The concept of the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ originated with the famous 1973 match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
Steve Johnson Makes His Feelings Known on Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Krygios’ Upcoming Exhibition Match
In a recent episode of the “Nothing Major Show” podcast, Johnson described the upcoming exhibition match between Sabalenka and Kyrgios as “ridiculous,” stating that there is “no need” for it to occur.
Johnson expressed that tennis would get “nowhere” with this exhibition match due to the modified serves, parameters, and court rules. He mentioned that he would not watch it for even a second.
“Yeah, I think it’s ridiculous, to be honest. If they’re going to play, just play all out. If not, I’m just saying, like I think this whole thing is ridiculous. There’s no need to do it. Just, you know, it’s just we’re going to get nowhere with this, if you’re especially going to change serves, parameters, courts. The effort from Nick is always going to be a question mark, and that’s it. I don’t know. Like, I’m not going to watch a second of it, to be honest,” Johnson said.
Sabalenka most recently completed her tennis season after competing in the 2025 WTA Finals. She was the top seed at the tournament and defeated Jasmine Paolini, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, and Amanda Anisimova to reach the final. In the championship match, she lost to Elena Rybakina and finished as the runner-up.
Sabalenka concluded the 2025 season with four titles. She won her first title at the Brisbane International. She also won two WTA 1000 titles: the Miami Open and the Madrid Open. The world No. 1 secured her final title of the season by defeating Anisimova in the final of the 2025 US Open, defending her title, claiming her second New York Major singles title, and her fourth Grand Slam singles title overall.
In the remaining three Grand Slam tournaments, Sabalenka finished as the runner-up at the Australian Open and the French Open, losing to Madison Keys and Gauff in the finals, respectively. At Wimbledon, she reached the semifinals before being defeated by the eventual runner-up, Anisimova.
