American stars Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Desirae Krawczyk, and Jennifer Brady have recently shared their thoughts on the highly anticipated “Battle of the Sexes” matchup between WTA World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and ATP star Nick Kyrgios, which will take place on Dec. 28, 2025, at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena.
In the 2025 season, Sabalenka delivered notable performances and made her appearance at the WTA Finals, where she lost the title-winning match to Elena Rybakina. Meanwhile, Kyrgios last competed at the Citi DC Open in the men’s doubles, partnering with Gaël Monfils.
What Did the Hosts of “The Player’s Box” Podcast Share Regarding the Match?
During their recent episode of “The Player’s Box” podcast, the World No. 6 and No. 7, Pegula and Keys, along with Desirae Krawczyk and Jennifer Brady, discussed the upcoming exhibition match between Kyrgios and Sabalenka. The event will be played with modified rules, offering the fans entertainment and fun with their sports icons.
As this is the latest version of the “Battle of the Sexes” match, revisions will be made to ensure the play is justified and equalized. While sharing her views, Keys mentioned, “So, Sabalenka has a bigger court to hit into. Nick has a smaller court. I think Nick has one serve. Or maybe they both have one serve. I don’t know. I don’t know all the details, but there’s like a lot of there’s like some stipulations. It’s not just straight up.”
To which Pegula, who won three titles on three different surfaces in her 2025 season, among other notable feats, added, “One serve per player. Totally. Like that definitely evens it out a lot more because Nick’s serve is insane. I don’t know like what shape Nick is in. Like we haven’t seen him in a while. I have no idea. But I mean he’s just so talented.”
The winner of nine singles and seven doubles titles, Pegula, also highlighted Kyrgios’ impressive serve, further revealing that the match’s prediction will be a mystery, as the Australian is heading into the game with a gap.
Krawczyk also expressed her excitement for the clash, adding, “Definitely be interesting. Yeah. And like don’t know what to expect. It’ll be interesting. There’s a lot of exhibitions going on, but it’ll be fun to watch.”
Sabalenka-Kyrgios will play the fourth “Battle of the Sexes” match. The earlier version was contested between legends Martina Navratilova and Jimmy Connors, which the latter won. The second match was played between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs; the game was won by King, marking a turning point that elevated the women’s platform in tennis and the entire sports world. The first game was competed in 1973 between Margaret Court and Riggs, with him winning the match.