Sabalenka accepted the invitation to fight Kyrgios

The match is called the "battle of the sexes", organized by the company Evolve founded by female tennis player Naomi Osaka. This is also the sponsor of both Sabalenka and Kyrgios.

Kyrgios is currently ranked 652nd in the world and has almost not played since the beginning of the year due to injury. However, the Australian player seemed excited about this return. He said: "I really enjoyed going there, meeting the fans and playing great tennis. "

Sabalenka said she understood the responsibility of a female tennis player in this special match. The Belarusian tennis player wants to follow the example of women's legend Bilie Jean King, who won a similar match with Bobby Riggs in 1973.

"I hope to be coached by Novak Djokovic in this match ", Sabalenka joked. "I want to play at my highest level, putting Kyrgios in an awkward position. He is definitely at a disadvantage compared to me when he has to play against a woman. Of course, I hope not to lose 0-6. I want to create a tense match, making Kyrgios crazy. "

The special match between Sabalenka and Kyrgios will take place in a three-set, two-win format, with a super tie-break series reaching 10 instead of a third set if necessary. Sabalenka's field is 9% smaller, stemming from data that female players move about 9% slower than men.

This is the first men's-women's match since Jimmy Connors defeated Martina Navratilova in 1992. Before that, Riggs won Margaret Court and lost to King, both in 1973.

Many fans were excited about the Sabalenka - Kyrgios match, but not Few people criticized the organizers. According to former world number one doubles player Rennae Stubbs, the match has no meaning for women's tennis and she felt confused when Sabalenka agreed to play. "This is an embarrassment to everyone involved, " Stubbs said.