SYDNEY (AP) — As confident as he is about defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the so-called Battle of the Sexes next month, Nick Kyrgios admits to feeling a bit of pressure.
Top-ranked Sabalenka and 2022 Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios earlier this week confirmed the date and venue — Dec. 28 in Dubai — for the “Battle of the Sexes” tennis exhibition.
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Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus serves against Coco Gauff of the United States during their women's singles match at the WTA tennis finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays a shot against Jessica Pegula of the United States during their women's singles match of the WTA finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/ Fatima Shbair)
FILE - Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus serves to Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. during a women's singles semifinal match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, file)
FILE - Nick Kyrgios of Australia plays a backhand return to Jacob Fearnley of Britain during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, file)
“I was in Hong Kong recently and a lot of the male players were like, ‘Look, you’re representing all of us.’ So here I am in the firing line again,” Kyrgios told Australian Associated Press on Friday. "I’m not a stranger to taking the heat from the media, but I’m excited whatever the result may be.
“I’m going to go out there and show the world that as good as she is, she’s got some weaknesses.”
The name of the Sabalenka-Kyrgios exhibition was borrowed from the 1973 match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs — which King won in straight sets in the Houston Astrodome.
Kyrgios, who has played only six tour-level matches in the last three years because of wrist and knee injuries, said he'd be hitting toward a smaller side of the court — almost 10% smaller than what Sabalenka will be aiming at — giving him less room to hit winners.
Both players are set to feature earlier in an exhibition in New York on Dec. 8 but not against each other: Sabalenka will play Naomi Osaka and Kyrgios will face Tommy Paul.
Kyrgios said he'd be giving Sabalenka full respect.
“Obviously you’ve got one potentially, I think, one of the greatest of all time women’s players and she’s not even almost close to scratching the surface of what she can achieve,” he told AAP. “I think she wins multiple more Grand Slams.
“She’s honestly been talking a little bit more about this match than I have, but I’m ready to take the challenge. I’m going to go out there and, in all honesty, it’s a lot of pressure for me too."
Having said all that, and acknowledging Sabalenka would have most of the crowd on her side, Kyrgios did refer to a career CV which places him in a rare group of players to have beaten all of the so-called Big Four: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray. He was only the second player to win his first meeting with Nadal (2014 Wimbledon), Federer (2015 Madrid) and Djokovic (2017 Acapulco)
“Look, I’m very confident,” he said. "I mean, look there’s been 16 people that have ever walked the earth that have beaten the Big Three and the Big Four.
“So I feel like, look, I’m quite confident but at the same time I’m very aware she’s dangerous."
Despite a ranking of No. 652 because of his long time on the sidelines, the 30-year-old Australian was confident he'd be fit enough to play well in a month.
“I’m going to be ready," he said. "I feel good about it.”
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus serves against Coco Gauff of the United States during their women's singles match at the WTA tennis finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays a shot against Jessica Pegula of the United States during their women's singles match of the WTA finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/ Fatima Shbair)
FILE - Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus serves to Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. during a women's singles semifinal match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, file)
FILE - Nick Kyrgios of Australia plays a backhand return to Jacob Fearnley of Britain during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, file)
U.S. forces on Monday launched an effort to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, where hundreds have been stuck since the Iran war began.
Two American-flagged merchant ships have “successfully transited” through the critical waterway, the U.S. military said. Separately, the U.S. military denied Iran’s claims that it struck an American Navy vessel southeast of the strait.
Iran handed over its latest proposal for negotiations with the U.S. to mediators in Pakistan, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported Friday. Trump subsequently said he’s “not satisfied” with it, but did not elaborate on the proposal’s apparent shortcomings. The shaky ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has lasted for three weeks.
Here's the latest:
The U.S. stock market is holding tentatively near its record heights Monday, while oil prices climb with uncertainty about when oil tankers can resume crossing the Strait of Hormuz and restore the world’s flow of crude. Dueling claims about a possible Iranian strike on a U.S. Navy vessel in the strait heightened the tensions.
The S&P 500 slipped 0.1%, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 216 points, or 0.4%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.1%.
The action was stronger in the oil market, where the price for a barrel of Brent crude climbed 2% to $110.37 and briefly topped $114 during the morning. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to its war with the United States has kept oil tankers pent up in the Persian Gulf and away from customers worldwide. That in turn has sent the price of Brent soaring from roughly $70 per barrel before the war.
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Rubio will travel to Rome and Vatican City this week in a bid to ease rising tensions between the Trump administration and Pope Leo over U.S. policies, particularly with Iran.
The State Department said Monday that Rubio, a devout Catholic who’s visited Rome and the Vatican at least three times since becoming Trump’s top diplomat, would be in Italy on Thursday and Friday.
“Secretary Rubio will meet with Holy See leadership to discuss the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere” the department said. “Meetings with Italian counterparts will be focused on shared security interests and strategic alignment.”
The trip comes as Trump has criticized Pope Leo, the first American pontiff, for his stances on the Middle East and elsewhere and posting social media images likening Trump to Jesus Christ.
The disruption of the waterway has squeezed countries in Europe and Asia that depend on Persian Gulf oil and gas, raising prices far beyond the region.
Trump has promised to bring down gas prices as he faces midterm elections this year.
The U.S. has warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for paying Iran for transit of the strait. It has enacted a naval blockade on Iranian ports since April 13, telling 49 commercial ships to turn back, U.S. Central Command said Sunday. The blockade has deprived Tehran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy.
U.S. officials have expressed hope the blockade forces Iran back to the negotiation table.
The U.S. military said Monday that two American-flagged merchant ships had successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz and Navy guided-missile destroyers in the Persian Gulf were helping to restore shipping traffic. It separately denied Iran’s claims to have struck an American Navy vessel.
The announcement came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new initiative to help guide ships through the critical waterway for global energy. Iran has effectively closed the strait since the U.S. and Israel started the war Feb. 28, rattling the global economy.
The U.S.-led Joint Maritime Information Center has advised ships to cross the strait in Oman’s waters, saying it set up an “enhanced security area.” U.S. Central Command didn’t say when the Navy ships arrived or when the merchant vessels departed.
It was unclear whether shipping companies, and their insurers, will feel comfortable taking the risk given that Iran has fired on ships in the waterway and vowed to keep doing so.
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President Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. step off from Marine One upon their arrival on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
President Donald Trump walks from Marine One to board Air Force One at Ocala International Airport, in Ocala Fla., Friday, May 1, 2026, after speaking at an event in The Villages, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
President Donald Trump steps off from Marine One upon his arrival at the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
