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Aryna Sabalenka, the top-ranked women’s tennis player in the world, and former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios are set to face off in an exhibition match in Dubai on 28 December. It’s being promoted as a “battle of the sexes”, more than 50 years after Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs’ historic match – though King has said this match has little in common with the original encounter.
The BBC’s Jonathan Jurejko speaks to both Sabalenka and Kyrgios ahead of the match about why they’ve signed up to face each other, and about the controversy it’s stirred up – particularly given incidents from Kyrgios’s past. He also talks to Mani Djazmi about the context surrounding the game, and what it might mean for the sport’s public image.
More than the Score is the BBC World Service’s daily podcast exploring stories from all over the world of sport. Every Monday to Friday, we’re telling stories beyond the scoreline, from athletics to Formula 1, boxing to bobsleigh, and football to the NFL. We’ve got interviews with extraordinary athletes like pole vault titan Mondo Duplantis, boxing royalty Cecilia Braekhus and tennis legend Boris Becker, as well as the experts working behind the scenes, from top football scouts to physios who keep NBA stars in peak condition. Plus, we’ve got the expertise of the BBC’s top journalists, who share their insights from decades of covering sport at all levels.
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