The Ukrainian had complained (later partially retracting her statement) about the testosterone levels of some of her colleagues. Aryna’s response: “She lost to us top players. Enough.“ And on the 28th in Dubai, she challenges Kyrgios in the ”battle of the sexes.“
”Many players have an advantage over me for biological reasons.“ These words, spoken at the end of the WTA season by Marta Kostyuk (5’9”), sparked quite a bit of controversy. The Ukrainian emphasized that her statements, including complaining 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 damage was done. And world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, provoked in an interview, returned to the subject. Despite the world No. 26’s attempts to tone down her remarks, her tone was quite decisive: “What I hear from Kostyuk are all excuses.”
Sabalenka never minces her words, and in this case too, in a joint interview with Nick Kyrgios on Piers Morgan’s show, she was happy to express her thoughts without mincing her words: “Marta probably has more muscle than me, she’s a fit and very strong girl. I don’t think physical disadvantages have affected the matches she’s lost to 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 subject of biological advantages, the Belarusian has also been asked about a much-debated issue, especially in the US, namely 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 boasts two finals on the major circuit in the 1970s as the first transgender tennis player in history. On the issue, Sabalenka expressed herself in no uncertain terms: “I have nothing against transgender women, but I think they have a very big advantage over us. I don’t think a woman should play against a biological man, I don’t agree.“ Battle of the sexes— Yet, even though it is an exhibition match, Sabalenka will face a man in a new ”battle of the sexes.” The media coverage is not comparable to the match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs on September 20, 1973, but there is a lot of curiosity about the match that will see the Belarusian take on Nick Kyrgios, who has sunk 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, which is organizing the exhibition, female players move about 9% slower than their male counterparts). The match will be played over two sets, and in the event of a tiebreaker, a best-of-10-point tiebreak will be played; both players will be allowed to serve only once, without a second serve. Sabalenka, to turn on the spotlight and provoke a little, already threw down the gauntlet a few days ago: “I know I will beat Kyrgios.”
