The Ukrainian had complained (later partially retracting her statement) about the testosterone levels of some of her female colleagues. Aryna’s response: “She lost to us top players. Enough.” And on the 28th in Dubai, she’ll face Kyrgios in the “battle of the sexes”

“Many players have a biological advantage over me.” These words, spoken toward the end of the WTA season by Marta Kostyuk (1.75 m tall), had sparked quite a bit of controversy. The Ukrainian had emphasized that her statements—including her complaint about having higher testosterone levels than some of her opponents—had been taken out of context. It was an attempt to defuse the controversy, but the die was cast. And world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, prodded during an interview, returned to the subject. Her tone, despite the world No. 26’s attempts to tone things down, was quite firm: “What I’m hearing from Kostyuk are all just excuses.”

Sabalenka never minces words, and in this case as well—in a joint interview with Nick Kyrgios on Piers Morgan’s show—she was more than happy to speak her mind bluntly: “Marta probably has more muscle than I do; she’s a fit and very strong girl. I don’t think any physical disadvantages affected the matches she lost against top players.” For the record, Kostyuk has a 1-7 record in 2025 against top-10 players, and two of those seven losses came against Sabalenka.

Advantages and Transgender Athletes—  Still on the topic of biological advantages, the Belarusian’s attention was also drawn to a much-debated issue—especially in the U.S.—regarding transgender athletes and their ability to compete against other players in official competitions. In tennis, there was the case of Renee Richards (born Richard Raskind), who also reached two Grand Slam finals in the 1970s as the first transgender tennis player in history. On this issue, Sabalenka spoke in no uncertain terms: “I have nothing against transgender women, but I believe they have a huge advantage over us. I don’t think a woman should play against a biological man; I disagree.”
Battle of the Sexes—  Yet, even though it’s just an exhibition match, Sabalenka will face a man in a new “Battle of the Sexes.” The media buzz isn’t comparable to the match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs on September 20, 1973, but there’s a lot of curiosity surrounding the match that will see the Belarusian take on Nick Kyrgios, who has plummeted to No. 673 in the world and has played only five matches in 2025. The two will face off in Dubai on December 28, with the world No. 1’s half of the court being 9% smaller (according to Evolve, the organizer of the exhibition, female players move about 9% slower than their male counterparts). The match will be best-of-three sets, and in the event of a deciding set, a best-of-10-point tiebreaker will be played; both players will be allowed to serve only once, with no second serve. Sabalenka, looking to turn the spotlight on the match and stir things up a bit, has already thrown down the gauntlet a few days ago: “I know I’ll beat Kyrgios.”