“It’s going to be tough for him”: Ben Shelton predicts trouble for Kyrgios in Sabalenka showdown

Ben Shelton has weighed in on the upcoming clash between Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka, an exhibition event dubbed the "Battle of the Sexes"—a nod to the historic 1970s victory of Billie Jean King over former No. 1 Bobby Riggs.

This time, the protagonists will be the women's World No. 1 against the current men's World No. 672, Nick Kyrgios. The Australian has barely managed to compete in a handful of tournaments this season, having spent the vast majority of the previous two years sidelined by injuries. Recently, Kyrgios made his return via a pair of exhibitions: the Garden Cup against Tommy Paul, and a showdown in Atlanta against Shelton himself, losing both matches.

His next stop is Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, where he will face the four-time Grand Slam champion in a widely discussed match pitting the ATP and WTA representatives against one another.

Speaking recently in an interview with Front Office Sports, the American shared his thoughts on the exhibition scheduled for December 28. According to Shelton, specific rule changes designed to level the playing field might actually tip the scales too far against the Australian.

“I was with both of them last weekend and it’s going to be tough for him [Kyrgios],” Shelton said. “You know, he has a court that I think is, I think, 9% smaller. He only has one serve; she has two. And obviously, she’s the best player in the world right now.”

The World No. 9 praised Sabalenka, expressing his expectation that she will put on a great show against Kyrgios given the constraints placed on the ATP star's biggest weapon. “She’s very strong from the baseline. You’re taking away the weapon of his first serve. So I think it’s going to be an interesting match. It’s definitely something I would tune in to.”

Shelton ended the year ranked World No. 9, slipping slightly after suffering three consecutive defeats during his debut at the ATP Finals in Turin. Despite the tough finish, the 23-year-old American enjoyed the best season of his career, cracking the Top 10 for the first time.

Highlighting his year was his first Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open. He also proved he remains a serious contender at the majors, reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open at the start of the year—his second appearance in the final four of a Grand Slam.

Currently the American No. 2—trailing only World No. 5 Taylor Fritz—Shelton appears to be one of the best hopes to end the nation's major title drought. American men have not celebrated a Grand Slam trophy since Andy Roddick won the US Open in 2003.

For Shelton, the strong contingent of American players at the top of the rankings suggests that a breakthrough is only a matter of time. “I think that we’re on the right track. I think that having the density of guys at the top is important. And then it’s inevitable. It’s just going to happen. And we’re slowly getting there,” Shelton said. “You know, it’s a question that we get asked in media pretty much every single week—at least every single month—and I can’t tell you when it’s gonna happen, I just know that we’re on the right track."

“We have two guys in the top 10 right now [Shelton and Fritz], which hadn’t been the case for a while, and so many young guys coming up that could make the same type of push,” Shelton added. “So I think just having a number of guys at the top who are confident and ready for their moment to come and to make that push to win a slam—I think it’s gonna happen.”