"It's insulting to women's tennis": Roger Rasheed's anger before the Sabalenka – Kyrgios duel

Roger Rasheed, a respected figure on the tour, believes the Battle of the Sexes "brings nothing" to Sabalenka and could even harm the cause of women's tennis.

© AFP

Jules Hypolite

le 13/12/2025 à 15h40

1 min to read

Kyrgios Nick Rasheed Roger Sabalenka Aryna

The modern version of the Battle of the Sexes, scheduled for December 28 in Dubai, is making headlines every day during this off-season.

Many stakeholders, players, coaches, or analysts have commented on the duel that will pit Aryna Sabalenka against Nick Kyrgios, on a court with very specific dimensions (the Australian's side reduced by 9%).

"It's quite insulting to women's tennis"

While some are enthusiastic about the topic, that is not the case for Roger Rasheed, who was very critical in an interview with ABC Sport:

"Honestly, I'm not a fan. I don't think it's a positive situation for women's tennis. To be honest, I find it quite insulting.

I don't see what this brings to the world number one. And if the goal is to support Sabalenka commercially, is this really the ideal place for that?"