Nick Kyrgios admits he is feeling "a lot of pressure" ahead of the Battle of the Sexes against Aryna Sabalenka as several ATP players apparently told the Australian that he will be "representing" the men's game when he takes on the top-ranked WTA star.
After being initially rumored during the US Open, the Battle of the Sexes between Kyrgios and Sabalenka got officially confirmed at the start of this week. The clash will take place at the Coca Cola Arena in Dubai on December 28th.
"I was in Hong Kong recently and a lot of the male players were like, 'Look, you're representing all of us.' So here I am in the firing line again. I'm not a stranger to taking the heat from the media, but I'm excited whatever the result may be," the 2022 Wimbledon finalist told Australian Associated Press.
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Kyrgios shows respect for Sabalenka: It's a lot of pressure for me too
Since 2023, Sabalenka is the player with the most Grand Slams captured in women's tennis (4). Also, she has been holding the top spot of the WTA rankings since last year's October. And Kyrgios is certainly well-aware of the Belarusian's accomplishments.
"Obviously you've got one potentially, I think, one of the greatest of all time women's players and she's not even almost close to scratching the surface of what she can achieve. I think she wins multiple more Grand Slams. She's honestly been talking a little bit more about this match than I have, but I'm ready to take the challenge. I'm going to go out there and, in all honesty, it's a lot of pressure for me too," Kyrgios said.
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In the same interview, Kyrgios noted that he is always "confident" in his abilities since he is one of the rare people who have beaten every Big Four member, but also added that he considers Sabalenka "dangerous."
