Greg Rusedski thought the Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios match was nothing but "a gimmick," and added that it didn't look like a proper tennis clash.
When sharing his thoughts on the Battle of the Sexes, the 1997 US Open runner-up took a neutral position and said that his final verdict would come after it concludes.
Just less than two months after it was announced, Sabalenka and Kyrgios took to the court in Dubai's Coca-Cola Arena. The WTA world No. 1's court size was reduced by 9 percent and each player only had one serve.
Kyrgios, who had two surgeries and has barely played over the last three years, registered a 6-3 6-3 win.
Before losing, Sabalenka twice recovered from a break down in the first set and she also led 3-1 in the second set.
Rusedski watched the match on TV and pretty much didn't find anything interesting about it.
Rusedski blasts the Sabalenka and Kyrgios match: Don't think we needed this
“I asked before the match on our podcast whether it was a gimmick and the answer is… Gimmick, gimmick gimmick. I did not enjoy it. I just thought Kyrgios was dictating. Let’s not forget he was No 671 in the world. Did we actually need this and was it good for tennis? I’m not so sure," Rusedski said on his podcast.
“It really didn’t feel like a match. Sabalenka is a brilliant tennis player. The world No 1, a multiple Slam winner. I just don’t think we need this for our sport. This is a guy who is not in shape and who hasn’t played for three years. You can see him sweating profusely on court and this just didn’t work for me."
When addressing the criticism that came her way, Sabalenka fired back by saying that she "did not understand how people were able to find something negative in this event."
Kyrgios was also very defensive of their match, describing it as "a cultural thing."
