Fans were divided over a controversial remark made by Patrick McEnroe, brother of John McEnroe, regarding Aryna Sabalenka and the state of women’s tennis. This comes just months after the WTA World No. 1 was beaten by Nick Kyrgios in straight sets.
During his radio show, Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe, the former American player was asked if he could beat the current World No. 1, Sabalenka. Instead of answering directly, he compared it to teenage boys competing against a top WNBA team, suggesting the outcome would be one-sided.
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He then added that even a top 17-year-old male junior would comfortably defeat Sabalenka.
“But if you took the top junior player in the world, the top 17-year-old and put him up against Sabalenka, they beat her 6-1, 6-1,” he said.
Patrick’s comments were shared on Instagram, and they drew mixed comments from fans.
“Good god can we stop giving the McEnroe brothers a platform. Comments like these 🙄” one fan wrote.
“Totally irrelevant statement to make!” another fan wrote.
“It’s just a different game and there’s nothing wrong with that or that both can be great on their own,” a third fan added.
One fan claimed that this is why males and females were separated into different categories. They wrote:
“And thats why men and women are separated categories in every sport duuuuuh ofc male will beat female in any sport, male bodies are just stronger and faster.”
One fan agreed wholeheartedly, writing:
“Well, he’s totally right.”
While another fan wrote:
“To be fair the worlds top junior has an ATP ranking of 700. He might well beat a Sabalenka or Rybakina but it’s not going to be 6-1 6-1.”
Aryna Sabalenka recently lost to out-of-form Nick Kyrgios in a Battle of the Sexes match
The so-called “Battle of the Sexes” involving Aryna Sabalenka began with a lot of buzz. The exhibition match against Nick Kyrgios in Dubai in late 2025 was promoted as a modern version of the famous 1973 showdown between Billie Jean King and Bobby Rogers.
But unlike the original, this one was more about entertainment than making any social statement, which immediately drew criticism from fans and former players.
The build-up itself was controversial. Many questioned the idea of comparing men’s and women’s tennis again, while others felt the event could hurt the image of the women’s game.
The match itself was played under modified rules to “balance” things. In the end, Kyrgios won comfortably 6-3, 6-3. Despite the scoreline, the match felt more like a show than a serious contest, with crowd entertainment throughout.
Edited by Aliasgar Ayaz
