Overview
- Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios meet on Sunday, December 28, at Dubai’s Coca‑Cola Arena, with live coverage on BBC One from 3:45pm UK and a 4pm start, plus streaming on BBC iPlayer.
- The exhibition uses nonstandard conditions: best‑of‑three sets with a 10‑point final tiebreak, one serve per player, and a 9% smaller court on Sabalenka’s side.
- Event promoter Evolve — the agency representing both players — is marketing it as a modern nod to 1973, a framing that has heightened scrutiny over commercial motives and conflicts of interest.
- Billie Jean King says the Dubai match is not comparable to her political, era‑defining contest with Bobby Riggs, while figures such as Mary Carillo, Rennae Stubbs and Garbiñe Muguruza dismiss the Dubai format as gimmicky or money‑driven.
- Sabalenka, the women’s world No. 1 and a four‑time Grand Slam champion, calls the match entertainment that can showcase the sport, as Kyrgios, ranked around 673 after limited play this year, embraces the spectacle and says he plans to compete hard.