Yevgeny Kafelnikov seemingly wouldn't sign up for a match against Aryna Sabalenka as the former ATP world No. 1 suggests he probably wouldn't win any games at 52 years old.
As you probably know, Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios met in the Battle of the Sexes on December 28th.
Before, during, and after the match, there was enormous attention on the match – both positive and negative. After Kyrgios completed a 6-3 6-3 win, the criticism continued to come the Belarusian's way after the public accused her of "damaging women's tennis." However, the WTA world No. 1 has remained unfazed by criticism throughout,and has even publicly stated that she "needs revenge" against Kyrgios.
Kafelnikov, a former two-time Grand Slam champion and the 2000 Sydney Olympics gold medalist, was a guest on the Hardcourt podcast and was asked if he could Sabalenka in a match.
Kafelnikov: I can't run, I can't keep up the pace
“I’m 52, I wouldn’t win games now. I can’t run, I can’t keep up the pace," the 1996 French Open and 1999 Australian Open champion answered.
Meanwhile, Kyrgios strongly defended Sabalenka after their match. When making his point for how well the Belarusian played, the Australian statated that the WTA world No. 1 competed pretty well against someone who had beaten every Big Four member.
"Let me just remind you that I'm one of 16 people that have ever beaten the Big Four – Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafa Nadal have all lost to me. She just proved she can go out there and compete against someone that's beaten the greatest of all time. There's nothing but positive that can be taken away from this," Kyrgios said after the match.
When asked about a possible rematch with Sabalenka, Kyrgios admitted that he was under a lot of pressure in Dubai, but seemed to be open to playing against the reigning US Open champion again.
