The BBC found itself in a challenging position, issuing several apologies during the broadcast of Aryna Sabalenka’s “Battle of the Sexes” match against Nick Kyrgios. Despite these efforts, viewers expressed their displeasure on social media, criticizing both the broadcast quality and the decision to air the event.

The match, which had been a source of contention since Kyrgios announced the face-off with the women’s world No. 1 in September, stirred significant debate. Critics questioned the rationale behind pitting a man ranked 671st in the world and struggling with injuries against the top female player in the ATP rankings. Kyrgios’ controversial history of disparaging women’s tennis on social media added fuel to the fire.

One viewer took to social media to express disappointment, stating, “It’s genuinely disheartening that our national broadcaster, the BBC, is airing the Battle of the Sexes tennis match (Sabalenka vs Kyrgios). It’s an event that devalues the sport and undermines the legacy of Billie Jean King.”

Another critic was puzzled by the BBC’s programming choice, asking, “Why on earth is BBC Sport showing the match between Sabalenka and Kyrgios?” They further questioned, “Why don’t you make more effort to showcase the matches tennis fans would prefer to watch?”

‘Why on earth is BBC Sport showing the match between Sabalenka & Kyrgios?’ another added. 

Nick Kyrgios’ victory over Aryna Sabalenka in their Battle of the Sexes match was loaded with controversies on and off the court

The BBC were forced to offer viewers multiple apologies after losing pictures during the clash

‘Why don’t you make more effort to show the matches tennis fans would prefer to watch?’ 

A third added: ‘The BBC is disgraceful. Billie Jean King was a legend, Kyrgios vs Sabalenka is a joke’.

King herself, who faced off with retired player turned ‘chauvinist pig’ Bobby Riggs in 1973, was keen to distance the event from her own victory, which proved landmark in prompting cultural change around how women’s tennis was perceived. 

The 12-time Grand Slam-winner had said before the match that ‘the only similarity is that one is a boy and one is a girl. That’s it. 

‘Everything else, no. Ours was about social change; culturally, where were in 1973. This is not.’

There was neither social change nor pure entertainment on the menu at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on Sunday, with a visibly unfit Kyrgios sweating and junk-balling his way to a 6-3, 6-3 victory against the four-time Grand Slam champion in just over an hour and a half. 

Sabalenka attempted to inject some levity into the proceedings with a showy entrance from the top of the stadium wearing a glittering trench coat set to the sound of ‘Eye of the Tiger’, and a dance break where she performed the Macarena, but failed to truly enliven a leaden audience. 

But even predictable tennis – albeit played on an unequal court, with Sabalenka’s side nine per cent smaller to reflect data showing women’s speed in comparison to men’s – proved hard to watch, with the pictures lost multiple times during the broadcast. 

The world No 1 made a splashy entrance to ‘Eye of the Tiger’ in reference to her nickname

But Kyrgios failed to give the contest an edge as he breezed to victory despite being far from match-fit

With the commentary pairing of former British No 1 Annabel Croft and journalist Andrew Cotter based in the UK rather than the UAE, both were forced to try and keep up with the score without the visuals of the match at times. 

Problems throughout the second set also saw the sound audible as the picture froze, with the BBC offering audiences their apologies via Cotter, and messages on the screen. 

‘Utterly rubbish pictures from the BBC during this debacle,’ one incensed commenter wrote on social media site X. ‘Is this what we pay £15 a month for?

‘#battleofthesexes #Sabalenka #Kyrgios #Tennis #abolishthelicencefee’. 

Another agreed: ‘BBC finally get the exclusive rights to show a big sporting event and they keep losing the picture.

‘Welcome back to the 1970s.’ 

The BBC also received backlash from those representing the viewpoint some critics of the match-up had feared most, with some suggesting that the competition wasn’t worthy of the rights sale. 

‘The farce that women players get equal prize money for less work expsed (sic)’, A user wrote. ‘Now provably far lower quality tennis too with the female No. 1 vs male No. 500+ with a ruleset rigged in favour of Sabalenka and she still lots (sic). 

‘Ludicrous and appalled that BBC paid for the rights.’

For his part, Kyrgios believed that the event had been a success and that it had been ‘all the world was talking about for six months’. 

‘Considering I took away one of her strengths, her first serve, she’s an incredible athlete,’ Kyrgios said in his post-match remarks. 

‘The gap is closer (than the scoreline) – I’m not surprised. It could have gone either way. I’m not even joking.’