Overview
- The off-season match in Dubai will be a best-of-three exhibition with one serve per point and a roughly nine percent smaller court on Aryna Sabalenka’s side.
- Evolve, the agency behind the event, cites movement data to justify the court tweak, a rationale that remains contested in discussion around the format.
- Ben Shelton predicts a difficult night for Nick Kyrgios, noting the loss of his first-serve edge and Sabalenka’s current form as world No. 1.
- Kyrgios is ranked outside the top 600 and has played only five pro matches in 2025 as he continues a comeback from a serious wrist injury.
- Critics including Catherine Whittaker, Garbiñe Muguruza and Roger Rasheed question the event’s message for women’s tennis, while Sabalenka voices confidence and Kyrgios argues the controversy only boosts interest.