“I don’t watch stuff like that” : Swiatek dismisses modern “battle of the sexes”
World No. 2 Iga Swiatek firmly rejects the need for gender-comparison exhibitions.
Iga Swiatek, United Cup 2026, Sydney | © Zuma / PsNewz
Iga Swiatek did not watch Nick Kyrgios defeat Aryna Sabalenka in Dubai last week, and she has no plans to catch the replay. Addressing the media in Sydney ahead of Poland’s United Cup opener, the six-time Grand Slam champion offered a blunt dismissal of “Battle of the Sexes” marketing, stating that women’s tennis no longer needs to validate itself through comparisons to the men’s game.
The Dec. 28 match in Dubai, which saw world No. 1 Sabalenka fall 6-3, 6-3 to Kyrgios on a court with 9% reduced dimensions, was billed as a modern successor to Billie Jean King’s 1973 clash with Bobby Riggs. Swiatek, however, saw no parallel.
“I haven’t watched, because I don’t watch stuff like that,” Swiatek said Saturday. “I think for sure it attracted, like, a lot of attention. It was an entertainment, but I wouldn’t say that had anything to do with, like, social change or any important topics.”
She continued by stripping away the historical weight often attached to such events: “I think the name was just the same as the one from the Billie Jean King match in ’73. That’s it. There were no more similarities.”
On the Independence of the WTA
For Swiatek, the struggle for legitimacy that defined the 1970s is a historical relic rather than a current necessity. She argued that the modern WTA Tour provides enough compelling narratives to exist without an ATP-centric yardstick.
“I feel like women’s tennis stands on its own right now,” Swiatek said. “We have so many great athletes and great stories to present, we don’t necessarily need to, like, compare to men’s tennis. It’s a totally different story. I think, honestly, yeah, there doesn’t need to be any competition.”
On the United Cup as the “Better” Model
While dismissive of the exhibition format, the Pole championed the United Cup’s official integration of the tours as a more authentic way to broaden the sport’s appeal.
“I think actually events like this one, United Cup, brings tennis all together, and WTA fans and ATP fans can watch this event with so much excitement,” she noted about this mixed team competition. “Seeing also singles players that usually don’t have space to play mixed doubles together, playing these kind of matches, I think this is actually what makes our sport much more interesting and better.”
Swiatek opens her 2026 season on Monday against Germany’s Eva Lys, while teammate Hubert Hurkacz faces world No. 3 Alexander Zverev.
