"I knew I had to beat him for societal change. I had a lot of reasons to win" - Billie Jean King highlights differences from Battle of the Sexes clashes

Billie Jean King was a trailblazer for women's tennis, with her win over Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes back in 1973 a hugely important moment. However, she is very critical about the upcoming match between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios.

The duo have been talking the talk ahead of their clash at the Coca Cola Arena in Dubai on December 28. It has seen a lot of criticism directed their way with a lot of people not a fan about this new version of the Battle of the Sexes.

One of these people is King, who does not see the change it will make socially or culturally. "The only similarity is that one is a boy and one is a girl. That's it," she told BBC Sport. “Everything else, no. Ours was about social change; culturally, where we were in 1973. This one is not. I hope it's a great match - I want Sabalenka, obviously, to win - but it's just not the same."

Back in 1973, King accepted a match against self-proclaimed chauvinist Riggs. The former world number one had recently battered Margaret Court losing 6-1, 6-2. The matchup against King would be a huge event, watched by around 90 million people. The best-of-five clash saw King pick up a stunning 6-4 6-3 6-3 result to take home $100,000 and is to this day a massive victory for the women's right movement. It also came around the time when King formed the Women's Tennis Association, and three years after the 'Original 9' broke away from the sport's establishment, looking for more fair terms to play under. 

This is a contrast from the 2025 version, with there many differences. "I played Bobby three out of five sets, I played on a court and didn't change anything," King stated. "I said, 'look, I play straight up or else I'm not going to play'. And Bobby loved it." 

Sabalenka will also be getting an advantage on court. Kyrgios will only allowed to have one serve with the world number one's side of the court being shrunk 9%. "Mine was really political. It was rough, culturally, what was coming in with it," King continued. "I knew I had to beat him for societal change. I had a lot of reasons to win."

When asked if this match could undermine women's tennis and regard of the world number one, King answered: "I don't know. I'll have to ask her [Sabalenka] after she plays, but we have never said we are better than men - ever. We have talked about our entertainment value - sometimes a women's match ends up being better than a guy's match. I get upset when people say you think you are better. We have never said that, never."

Sabalenka and Kyrgios have been preparing for the clash with a number of exhibitions, already coming up against each other in some mixed doubles matches. Sabalenka has returned from her holiday to the Maldives motivated to continue her positive form. That is despite losing in the final of the WTA Finals against Elena Rybakina. She has got a brace of wins over four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in exhibition events located in Atlanta and New York. Kyrgios was also featuring, making a highly anticipated return from a pestering knee injury halting his progress on the court. After multiple failed comebacks, he will be hoping that this one is a return for the good. It has not been a winning start, losing to Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul. He will be targeting a change in fortune at the Battle of the Sexes.