Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios are set to revive the “Battle of the Sexes” when they face off next month in Dubai. But Ilana Kloss, the wife and business partner of Billie Jean King, doesn’t believe the exhibition match belongs “in the same conversation” as King’s historic battle with Bobby Riggs in 1973.
“I don’t think anyone’s going to take it seriously,” Kloss told Front Office Sports about the match between Sabalenka and Kyrgios. “Other than them getting a check—which is great, I’m sure it’s a big check—I think you can’t even discuss them in the same conversation.”
It’s unclear how much Sabalenka and Kyrgios will receive for their participation in the Battle of the Sexes: Dubai Showdown on Dec. 28. Stuart Duguid, the agent for both Sabalenka and Kyrgios, told FOS earlier this month they are “not discussing the economics” of the match.
King won the $100,000 winner-take-all prize after defeating Riggs in 1973, but Kloss, who was also a top-ranked tennis pro in the 1970s, said that match was less about money and more for “society.”
Title IX, the federal law banning sex-based discrimination in athletic programs, was passed in June 1972. Less than a year later, Riggs defeated former top women’s player Margaret Court. He would lose to King four months after that.
“I think Billie beating Bobby was hugely important because Title IX had just been passed,” Kloss said. “She really didn’t want to play him. He chased her forever. And she’s like, ‘I got nothing to gain. If I don’t beat you, we’re history. And if I beat you, I should.’”
FOS reached out to King following the announcement of the exhibition between Sabalenka and Kyrgios, but a representative said the tennis legend “will not be making any statement about this event at this time.”
The exhibition between Kyrgios and Sabalenka will also have rule changes “designed to level the playing field,” according to Duguid. Changes include a smaller court on Sabalenka’s side and having only a single serve available per game to neutralize Kyrgios’s service strength advantage.
“It’ll be entertaining,” Kloss said.
