Sabalenka stuns with her Time cover and confesses she wants to repeat the Battle of the Sexes

Aryna Sabalenka is not at her best in terms of sports performance, but she is a media sensation and an iconic figure beyond the sport. The Belarusian is aware of this great power and responsibility, and she does not shy away from the opportunities to connect with her fans. Evidence of this has been her interview and feature in Time magazine, where she referred to the Battle of the Sexes she had with Nick Kyrgios.

The Belarusian explained that she accepted that match because she wanted to raise the visibility of tennis. However, she was not completely satisfied with the format used, which established a single serve and a smaller court for her. "I would do it with someone else," Sabalenka stated, and she also did not finish particularly satisfied with Kyrgios's attitude: "Nick was very tense, so he really couldn't bring any fun." She later added a particularly striking phrase: "He lost my trust," although she preferred not to explain what had happened between them.

Sabalenka would repeat the Battle of the Sexes, but not with Kyrgios

However, the most relevant issue arose when Sabalenka was asked about her initial statements regarding transgender athletes in women's sports, which she made just before facing Kyrgios. Her stance has not changed. "I have nothing against trans people, but I don't think it's fair," she asserted.

What an honor to be on the cover of @time ♥️ thank you for having me 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/UzuR7RkQTb

— Sabalenka Aryna (@SabalenkaA) August 13, 2026

The four-time Grand Slam champion elaborated on her argument by discussing physical differences: "It is obvious that biologically men are much stronger than women, so I don't think it would really be fair for women to compete against biological men."

Sabalenka later reiterated this position when asked about the WTA's policy on genetic testing for sex. The tennis player believes that biological differences in strength are a determining factor and argues that they must be taken into account to preserve fairness in women's competitions.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sabalenka asombra con su portada Time y confiesa que quiere repetir la Batalla de los Sexos