By Richard Pagliaro Saturday, January 3, 2026
Image source: Cincinnati Open Facebook
Iga Swiatek Didn’t watch last month’s Battle of the Sexes Alina Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios.
The Wimbledon champion said she believes the WTA and ATP tours can complement each other rather than compete with each other.
When asked about her reaction to the battle of the sexes, Swiatek said it brought entertainment value but insisted “women’s tennis has its own position”.
I think it definitely attracted a lot of attention. It’s entertainment, but I wouldn’t say it has anything to do with social change or any important topic,” Swiatek said of Kyrgios’ victory over Sabalenka. “I think the name is the same as the name from the ’73 Billie Jean King game. That’s it. There are no similarities anymore as I feel the women’s tennis courts are now independent.
“We have so many great athletes and great stories to tell and we don’t necessarily need to be compared to men’s tennis. It’s a completely different story.”
Former Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic said the title of the Sabalenka-Kyrgio exhibition match was a bit misleading in her opinion.
“My personal opinion is that it shouldn’t be called a battle of the sexes because that’s something else,” Bencic said. “Yes, it’s a great exhibition.”
World number two Swiatek, who leads Poland in this week’s Fed Cup alongside old friend Hubert Hulkac, said tournaments like the Fed Cup play to tennis’s strengths because it is the only professional sport where men and women can compete side by side.
“I think, honestly, yeah, there doesn’t need to be any competition,” Swiatek said. “I think actually events like the Fed Cup bring tennis together and it’s something that WTA fans and ATP fans can be really excited to watch.
“To see singles players who normally don’t have space to play mixed doubles together competing in these types of tournaments, I think it actually makes our sport more interesting and better.
“So, yeah, I haven’t seen the fight. I just know what it’s like. But I think, yeah, it’s definitely going to be good entertainment and an XO match between those two.”
