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Patrick McEnroe Says Top Junior Would Beat No. 1 Sabalenka 6-1, 6-1

The comments revive the long-running Battle of the Sexes debate over physical gaps in tennis.

Overview

  • Patrick McEnroe, on his SiriusXM show Friday, said a 17-year-old top junior boy would beat Aryna Sabalenka by something like 6-1, 6-1.
  • He implied he would also defeat her if he were in peak shape and compared the idea to high school boys playing South Carolina’s women’s basketball team.
  • He added that he loves women’s tennis and said the men’s and women’s games differ in spin, movement, and physical power.
  • Coverage over the weekend described heavy backlash to his view and noted there has been no formal challenge or public reply from Sabalenka.
  • The discussion comes after Nick Kyrgios beat Sabalenka 6-3, 6-3 in a December exhibition, as writers also pointed out McEnroe is 59 and long retired.