After Kyrgios’ 6-3 6-3 victory in Dubai on Sunday, that question is still being mulled over.
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A particular point of contention was what 27-year-old women’s world number one Sabalenka stood to gain by facing a man whose fortunes had plummeted following a career-threatening wrist injury.
For Kyrgios, 30, 671st in the men’s rankings, it represented an opportunity to remain relevant and take advantage of the time on court to prepare for a possible return to the ATP Tour in 2026.
In the end, the much-hyped match lacked the intensity and entertainment promised in the build-up.
The contest turned out as many expected: an off-season exhibition that unfolded at a pedestrian pace.
“I don’t think it lived up to what I thought it could be,” said former British number one Annabel Croft.
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What did Sabalenka win?
After a year in which she won four titles, including the US Open, Sabalenka finished as the best player in the world for the second consecutive season.
However, the four-time Grand Slam champion and her team felt that a novel match against a notable player could help raise her profile higher.
Boosting his bank balance at the same time, despite earning £11m last season, was another key attraction, cynics would say.
Critics also argued that the match would encourage unnecessary and unfair comparisons between the women’s and men’s games.
Sabalenka later rejected that view again.
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“I feel like we just paid more attention to our sport and I don’t see how it can be bad,” he said.
But Croft said the match, played on a modified court designed to help Sabalenka, did not show her best.
“I didn’t feel like this showed her enough of what we know she’s capable of,” Croft said.
“But she certainly wasn’t embarrassed in any way.”
Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios were reunited by the agency that represents them both (Getty Images)
The court was altered so that Sabalenka’s 9% receiving end was smaller in dimensions, giving Kyrgios a smaller target to hit, in an attempt to ensure a more level playing field.
Both players were only allowed one serve each and, with differing opinions on who benefited, this further hampered Sabalenka as she missed more first serves in decisive moments.
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Sabalenka showed some flashes of the emotion she shows in competitive matches, demonstratively throwing her arms in frustration when she missed shots.
But the mischievous smile when he won points reminded everyone that this was not a serious competition.
To further underscore the point, Sabalenka called a timeout midway through the fifth game of the second set, so she could play the Macarena while the classic cheesy dance played over the public address system.
“I felt great. I think I put up a great fight. He was struggling, he got really tired,” Sabalenka said afterward.
“I think it was a great level, I made a lot of great shots, I moved a lot towards the net, drop shots. I really enjoyed the show.”
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What did Kyrgios get out of this?
Critics questioned Kyrgios’ suitability as a male lead, given that he admitted to assaulting an ex-girlfriend in 2021 and has made a series of comments that have been considered misogynistic.
Throughout it all, it seemed as if the Australian had sensed an opportunity to use the event as a public relations exercise to help rebuild his reputation.
Speaking to the BBC last month, he insisted he had “matured” as a person.
Kyrgios regularly attempted to use his friendship with Sabalenka, who appears to have genuine warmth, as an indicator of his change in character.
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Whether he maintains that will be watched with interest, as will his planned return next season, with an Australian Open wildcard still in sight.
Kyrgios, ranked 13th in the world at his peak, played with an air of insouciance throughout. His movement was limited as he worked to shorten points where possible.
Especially in the second set, he was blowing heavily as his olive green T-shirt became soaked with sweat.
“Honestly, it was a really difficult match, she’s a great player and a great champion,” Kyrgios said.
“It’s a big step forward for the sport of tennis.”
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He later added: “She just showed that she can go out and compete with someone who has beaten the greatest of all time. There are nothing but positives that can be taken from this.”
The blueprint for the future ‘sports entertainment’?
Sabalenka and Kyrgios’ attempts to justify the event faced severe criticism, particularly from the tennis fraternity.
Despite the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ moniker, it had little in common with Billie Jean King’s seminal match against self-confessed chauvinist Bobby Riggs in 1973, a time when women were denied equality in tennis and in wider society.
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Times have changed. Tennis has greater gender equality than any other major sport.
So this was more like YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul’s heavyweight fight against former world champion Anthony Joshua, an event designed to attract casual fans and blur the lines between serious sporting endeavor and frivolous entertainment.
Both players had promoted the Dubai contest as a pair of boxers whipping up a fight.
Sabalenka vowed to “kick Nick’s ass” as she promoted the event on US talk shows, while Kyrgios insisted the hype of the occasion would bring new eyes to the sport.
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Both players will undoubtedly reap big profits, although they have declined to say how much they will win.
“It will be really interesting if we see more matches like this,” said BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller.
“There are many different types of tennis events around the world and exhibitions are in demand, particularly in cities that do not host the major tournaments.”
However, it seemed that the fun factor was not up to par with what might have been expected.
There was often a flat atmosphere at Coca-Cola Arena, which has a capacity of 17,000 but was reduced to a smaller, sold-out crowd with the upper level closed.
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Once the match started, any volume of the fans leaned in favor of Sabalenka. As the score moved in Kyrgios’ direction, the dial was lowered.
Kyrgios promised that a host of celebrity names would add glamour, although the only notable superstars appeared to be Brazilian soccer legends Ronaldo and Kaká, who entered midway through the first set to great fanfare.
As Kyrgios closed in on victory, cameras caught a little boy sleeping in his mother’s arms.
That could be the defining image of an event that continues to polarize opinion.
