Overview
- Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios are scheduled to play an exhibition on December 28 at Dubai’s Coca‑Cola Arena, with the BBC set to broadcast in the UK.
- The format uses 'Equaliser' rules: one serve per point, a best‑of‑three with a 10‑point deciding tiebreak, and a nine percent smaller court on Sabalenka’s side.
- Event organisers Evolve, which represents both players, confirmed Patrick Mouratoglou proposed the smaller‑court and one‑serve idea after he publicly said the revival was his pitch.
- Critiques have intensified, with Greg Rusedski calling the spectacle gimmicky and recalling an anecdote that Martina Navratilova declined a $1 million offer to play a man, while opinion columns question its value for women’s tennis.
- Sabalenka defends participating as safe and beneficial for the women’s game, as scrutiny also notes Kyrgios has not played competitively since March and is ranked No 673.