Nick Kyrgios picks side in Aryna Sabalenka sexism row after Maria Sharapova comments

Aryna Sabalenka’s comments about practising with men instead of women have caused a stir during Wimbledon, with former champion Maria Sharapova hitting out at some reporting

Nick Kyrgios says he is trying to organise a match against Aryna Sabalenka later this year after a sexism row broke out at Wimbledon. World No.1 Sabalenka has become involved in a debate at the tournament after Maria Sharapova hit out at an article about her practising with men.

Sabalenka will face Laura Siegemund in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon on Tuesday after some impressive performances in the early rounds. She is the clear favourite for the title after a succession of seeds were knocked out, but Sharapova’s comments have brought a spotlight onto her methods.

The Belarusian gave quotes to the Wall Street Journal at the start of the month in an article headlined: ‘The World No.1 who hits so hard she practices against men’. The story said she “needed practice partners who could live with her blistering groundstrokes”.

Sabalanka told the WSJ: “Hitting with the guys, it’s another level of intensity. When you see, on that side, someone like Jannik [Sinner] or Novak [Djokovic], you learn from them. You reflect what they do on court. You play with them…and you see the difference. It’s really helped my tennis.”

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Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champion, responded on Instagram by writing: “What is this headline and what is this article. You can do better”.

Kyrgios clearly doesn’t have a problem with Sabalenka improving her game by learning from the best male players. The Australian, who isn’t playing at Wimbledon due to injury, is keen to face the women’s world No.1 in a match himself.

“Sabalenka and I are thinking about doing a battle of the sexes later in the year, where the court is going to be slightly smaller for me. One serve,” he told talkSPORT.

“We’re thinking about doing it later in the year in Hong Kong. This is going to be something that I’m really nervous about, to be honest, because she’s in her absolute prime right now, and she’s getting the wooden legs of me.”

The proposed match would be in the format devised by Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS), in which there are four quarters of eight minutes each, with only one serve allowed per point.

“UTS is how modern-day tennis should be,” Kyrgios, a Wimbledon finalist in 2022, added. “It’s something that we’re both up for doing. We are very close. The drop shot is my friend. And I still think I’ve got enough variation and talent in the tank to take Sabalenka on. But she’s fierce and yes (laughs), I’m feeling nervous right now.”

Sabalenka is far from the only top female player to practice with men and the criticism of the WSJ article appears to be aimed at the tone of it, rather than the subject. One excerpt reads: “The 27-year-old Sabalenka now crushes the ball so forcefully that she needs new practice partners.

“And, as it turns out, the right players for the job happen to be people she could never face in singles competition. That’s because they’re men”.