In early November, Evolve – an agency representing the Belarusian and the Australian – confirmed that the two would clash in Dubai on December 28.
Later, the organizers also announced that the match would not be played according to standard rules. Sabalenka’s court has been reduced by 9 percent – each player gets only one serve – and a possible third set would be a match tiebreak.
Reactions to it were mixed, as some would have preferred to see the top-ranked WTA player and the 2022 Wimbledon finalist battle in a standard format. Some also argue that this can no longer be considered the real battle of the sexes.
Cornet, a six-time WTA champion and former world number 11, believes the match between Sabalenka and Kyrgios was made purely for entertainment purposes. And while the Frenchwoman is ‘curious’ to see how it all goes, she admits she isn’t too impressed with some of the rules.
Cornet: I think shortening the court for Sabalenka is ridiculous
“I’ll wait and see, with a little curiosity, but not too much, because I think it’s actually a huge PR stunt. I get the feeling that it’s all about the promotion and that ultimately the tennis itself comes second. These new rules – especially the one about shortening the court for Sabalenka – I find absolutely ridiculous. As for the serving rule, I can understand it with a player like Nick Kyrgios, who can hit four aces in a match. If you want to give something to the fans some entertainment, you don’t want it to be all aces,” Cornet shared RMC Sports.
Before the match, Sabalenka noted that a smaller field would be to her advantage and added that she would be super aggressive against Kyrgios.
On the other hand, Kyrgios admitted to being nervous but also excited about the challenge.
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