Iga Świątek has said that “there doesn’t need to be any competition” like Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios’ “Battle of the Sexes,” because “women’s tennis stands on its own.”

During a news conference at the United Cup in Australia, the six-time Grand Slam champion and world No. 2 said she would not say that the match, played in Dubai Dec. 28, “had anything to do with, like, social change or any important topics”.

“I think the name was just the same as the one from the Billie Jean King match in ’73. That’s it,” the 24-year-old said.

“There were no more similarities because I feel like women’s tennis stands on its own right now. We have so many great athletes and great stories to present, we don’t necessarily need to, like, compare to men’s tennis.

“It’s a totally different story.”

Kyrgios, the world No. 671 who has fallen down the rankings because of injury, beat Sabalenka, the women’s world No. 1 and Świątek’s main rival, 6-3, 6-3. Both Kyrgios, 30, and Sabalenka, 27 spent the build-up focused on the entertainment value of the contest, eliding criticism of the event’s impact on women’s tennis and tennis at large. With the match played on a modified court that was smaller on Sabalenka’s side and with one serve each, Sabalenka stood either to lose to a player who had played seven times in three years, or to win with the format in her favor.

Both players used their news conferences after the match to express disbelief and distaste at the criticism. Sabalenka said she “did not understand how people were able to find something negative in this event,” while Kyrgios described it as a step forward for tennis and criticized “negativity” around the occasion.

Before the event, Stuart Duguid, co-founder of Evolve, which represents Sabalenka and Kyrgios, said in an interview that he also did not understand the criticism.

With Świątek in Sydney for the United Cup, a mixed international event held there and in Perth, Sabalenka and Kyrgios are in Brisbane, competing in the WTA 500 and ATP 250 events respectively. Sabalenka, who is defending champion at the Brisbane International, said during an interview with Tennis Australia that she would like a rematch with Kyrgios in a different format.

For Świątek, tennis already has the kind of event it needs to promote men and women playing together.

“Events like this one, United Cup, brings tennis all together, and WTA fans and ATP fans can watch this event with so much excitement,” she said.

“Seeing also singles players that usually don’t have space to play mixed doubles together, playing these kind of matches, I think this is actually what makes our sport much more interesting and better.”

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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