Ruud rips hyped-up Battle of the Sexes

Casper Ruud has lit into this weekend’s “battle of the Sexes” pitting WTA world No. 1 against lackadaisical and semi-retired Nick Kyrgios.

The Dubai exhibition set for Sunday in the Emirate holds no interest for Norway’s Ruud, who was not shy about giving the event a solid thumbs-down.

The hit-and-giggle will be played under a hybrid set of rules, with each player only given one serve and Sabalenka’s side of the court nine per cent smaller than that of former Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios whose once-promising career has tailed off over the past three seasons.

“If you really want to do it, you should have fair playing grounds. If it’s not the same court on both sides and two serves, it’s not the real deal,” Ruud told Greg Rusedski’s podcast regarding the special arrangements.

Observers from both sexes expect even a rusty Kyrgios to have his way with the scoreline in what many view as a pointless exercise.

Australia world No. 7 Alex de Minaur can’t tell if the event will qualify as serious tennis. “At the moment, we don’t know what’s going to happen.We don’t know whether they’re in full form, how the court will vary, the conditions.

“For it to be a real Battle of the Sexes, the court dimensions have to be the same and it has to be tennis. 

“It could be one set, but it has to be two serves. The court size has to be the same because that’s the way tennis is played.”