Nick Kyrgios says that he’s feeling the stress forward of his controversial exhibition match with Aryna Sabalenka.
Prime-ranked Sabalenka and 2022 Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios earlier this week confirmed the date and venue – December 28 in Dubai – for a “Battle of the Sexes” tennis exhibition.
“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,” Kyrgios instructed Australian Related Press.
“I’m not a stranger to taking the heat from the media, but I’m excited whatever the result may be.
“I will go on the market and present the world that nearly as good as she is, she’s received some weaknesses.”
The identify of the Sabalenka-Kyrgios exhibition was borrowed from the 1973 match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs – which King received in straight units within the Houston Astrodome.
Kyrgios, who has performed solely six tour-level matches within the final three years due to wrist and knee accidents, mentioned he’d be hitting towards a smaller aspect of the courtroom – nearly 10 per cent smaller than what Sabalenka shall be aiming at – giving him much less room to hit winners.
Each gamers are set to function earlier in an exhibition in New York on December 8 however not in opposition to one another: Sabalenka will play Naomi Osaka and Kyrgios will face Tommy Paul.
Kyrgios mentioned he’d be giving Sabalenka full respect.
“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,” he mentioned. “I think she wins multiple more Grand Slams.
“She’s truthfully been speaking somewhat bit extra about this match than I’ve, however I am able to take the problem. I will go on the market and, in all honesty, it is lots of stress for me too.”
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Highlights of the US Open last between Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova.
Having mentioned all that, and acknowledging Sabalenka would have a lot of the crowd on her aspect, Kyrgios did discuss with a profession CV which locations him in a uncommon group of gamers to have crushed all the so-called Large 4: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray. He was solely the second participant to win his first assembly with Nadal (2014 Wimbledon), Federer (2015 Madrid) and Djokovic (2017 Acapulco).
“Look, I’m very confident,” he mentioned. “I mean, look there’s been 16 people that have ever walked the earth that have beaten the Big Three and the Big Four.
“I am fairly assured however on the similar time I am very conscious she’s harmful.”
Despite a ranking of No 652 because of his long time on the sidelines, the 30-year-old Australian was confident he’d be fit enough to play well in a month.
“I will be prepared,” he said. “I be ok with it.”
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