It is not the first time that one of the biggest stars in world sport has been asked about the participation of transgender women in her discipline, but the tennis player Aryna Sabalenka27 years old, Superior leader of the WTA rankings, became clear this week when controversial journalist Piers Morgan He was interested in his opinion on the matter. “This is a complicated question,” the Belarusian began Uncensoredthe British presenter’s TV room; “I have nothing against transsexuals, but I think they have a big (physical) advantage over women.That’s why it doesn’t seem fair to me that we have to compete against opponents who were biologically born male.”
“At the end of the day, we spend our whole lives training to reach our physical limits, and if that were to happen, we would be standing on the court in front of a natural man who, by definition, will always be much stronger than a woman,” added Sabalenka, who, like in her time Martina Navratilovanumber one in the world in the 1980s, does not welcome the hypothetical inclusion of trans tennis players in the tennis circuit. “I don’t agree, it doesn’t seem fair.”
In Spain, top athletes such as Ana Peleteiro and Lydia Valentín were also against the idea. “I have trans friends and I know what they have to endure to show how they feel, so they have my full support, but in professional sports it is a sensitive issue,” commented the Galician athlete in 2023. “When you have matured as a man, even if you lower your testosterone levels, Your bone density and muscle development will be different than a woman’s.. I think doors should be opened for transsexuals, albeit in non-professional sports. Otherwise, “We will compete against genetically superior people.”broad. “Not everything is possible,” explained the weightlifter from Ponferrada, Olympic champion in London 2012; “(Its inclusion) would be an injustice to all women from birth.”
However, Sabalenka’s statements came during the presentation of an event that also caused some controversy in the tennis world. On December 28th, the Belarusian will meet Australian Nick Kyrgios, Wimbledon finalist 2022, in Dubaibut after a series of injuries that brought him ever closer to retiring from the professional scene, he has now fallen to 672nd place in the men’s rankings.
The meeting was called regardless of any official status “The Battle of the Sexes” is intended to relive what happened more than 50 years ago when Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs faced each other in Houston (USA). to, in King’s words, “defend the value of women’s tennis.”
“I take responsibility and will take this match very seriously, so Bobby better be prepared,” warned King, who won his fifth Wimbledon title that same year. At the front was a man, Riggs, who had been retired for decades but, at 55, never tired of belittling the standard of women’s tennis in the media. The match was won by the Californian tennis player in a landslide (6-4, 6-3, 6-3), and in 2017, almost five decades later, Emma Stone and Steve Carell revived the protagonists’ story on the big screen.
Now Sabalenka and Kyrgios will repeat the format. Yes, the context will be very different. Organized by private capital and broadcast live in dozens of countries around the world, the friendly match between the Belarusian and the Australian will be played at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, where tickets cost between $345 and $425.
“I feel very honored to represent women’s tennis and I know I will win,” Sabalenka confidently warned this week. “When the world number one challenges you, you just have to accept,” replied Kyrgios; “Aryna is an exceptional player but I will give everything to win her. Let Dubai and the world prepare because it will be a great show.”
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