Ben Shelton has declared Aryna Sabalenka "the best player" in women's tennisand expects Nick Kyrgios to have "a tough" job when he meets the Belarusian tennis star in the Battle of the Sexes.
Last weekend, Shelton, Kyrgios, Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka went to Atlanta for an exhibition event. After two singles matches, the participants also played a mixed doubles match as Shelton teamed up with Sabalenka, while Kyrgios shared the same side of the net with Osaka.
After the event was over, the Australian and the Belarusian appeared as guests on Piers Morgan Uncensored to discuss their upcoming match, scheduled for December 28th in Dubai.
This year, Sabalenka went a full season as the world No. 1 - made three Grand Slam finals - and won her fourth Grand Slam title at the US Open. On the other side, Kyrgios appeared in just five main-level matches - with his last coming at the Miami Masters. The 2022 Wimbledon finalist is currently ranked at No. 672 in the world.
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Sharing his thoughts on the upcoming Battle of the Sexes, Shelton admitted that he plans to watch the match. And he also showed some respect for the current WTA world No. 1.
Shelton: It is going to be tough for Kyrgios against the best player in the world, Sabalenka
I was with both of them last weekend and its going to be tough for him. You know, he has a court that I think is, I think, 9% smaller. He only has one serve, she has two. And obviously, shes the best player in the world right now. Shes very strong from the baseline. Youre taking away the weapon of his first serve. So I think its going to be an interesting match. Its definitely something I would tune into," Shelton told Front Office Sports.
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Sabalenka noted that she would do her best to beat the Australian, while the 2022 Wimbledon runner-upadmitted to feeling "a lot of pressure" but also feeling excited about the match.
