The upcoming Battle of the Sexes exhibition match between World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios in Dubai has reignited discussions about physical attributes and performance in professional tennis. During a recent interview with media personality Piers Morgan, the Belarusian champion directly addressed claims made by Ukrainian player Marta Kostyuk regarding testosterone levels and biological advantages in women’s tennis, offering her own assessment of the controversy that had dominated sports headlines in October.
Aryna Sabalenka’s Response to Marta Kostyuk’s Testosterone Claims
When Piers Morgan brought up Kostyuk’s testosterone remarks during the interview, Sabalenka didn’t hesitate to dismiss the narrative as unfounded excuses rather than legitimate sporting discussion.
“That’s so funny that we even talk about someone like Marta Kostyuk’s comments, but all I hear here is just excuses,” the Belarusian stated. Rather than attacking her personally, Sabalenka acknowledged that the Ukrainian is indeed a physically capable competitor.
“She’s a strong girl. She probably has more muscles than I do, and she looks fit and strong,” Sabalenka conceded, showing respect for her opponent’s athletic capabilities. However, the 2025 US Open champion quickly pivoted to challenge the core premise of Kostyuk’s argument.
“I think that’s not the case in all of the matches she lost against top players. I think that’s not the key in sports,” she explained, implying that consistency, mental strength, and tactical execution matter far more than biological structure in determining who wins professional matches.
MORE: Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka’s Colleague Marta Kostyuk Makes Strange Claim About Them
“All I hear here is just excuses… she probably has more muscles than I do!”
Aryna Sabalenka responds to Marta Kostyuk’s claims that she has ‘higher testosterone’.
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📺 https://t.co/tP8k3DkRTN@piersmorgan | @SabalenkaA | @NickKyrgios pic.twitter.com/sTzQrhZXXP
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) December 9, 2025
Kyrgios, who was sitting alongside Sabalenka during the interview, offered his own perspective on the debate, noting that physical differences among players have always existed and never prevented talented athletes from succeeding. “Someone like John Isner or Ivo Karlović was a fair bit bigger than Roger Federer, but you’re always going to get physical differences between players,” Kyrgios observed.
Kostyuk’s Comments on Sabalenka and Iga Świątek’s Dominance in Women’s Tennis
The tennis community erupted in October when Kostyuk’s interview with Tennis365 at the Wuhan Open became public and began circulating widely on social media. Initial reports presented Kostyuk as making direct accusations about Sabalenka and Iga Świątek possessing higher testosterone levels that provided them with unfair competitive advantages. At the time, Kostyuk was ranked 28th in the world and had never defeated Sabalenka in four career meetings against her.
When asked by Tennis365 how close she felt to top players and what made them superior, Kostyuk’s actual response began with specific context about her experiences. She then expanded on her observations, explaining that when comparing herself to elite competitors, certain physical realities were evident.
MORE: Marta Kostyuk Under Fire for ‘Embarrassing’ Excuse After Bizarre Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Świątek Take
“When I look at these players, I have my own skills, but at the end of the day, they are all much bigger than me, much taller than me, much stronger than me. We all have different biological structures. Some have a higher level of testosterone, some have lower. It’s just natural, they don’t take anything. I’m sure of that. It’s just the biology of their body,” Kostyuk continued.
The original Tennis365 article created an immediate social media frenzy, with numerous fans and commentators calling Kostyuk a poor loser and questioning the logic of her remarks. Days after the story went viral, Tennis365 published a clarification acknowledging that it had removed crucial context from her original answers.
Tennis365 also clarified that Kostyuk had explicitly stated the players don’t “take anything” and that she understood it was “just natural” biology. However, even with the restored context and Tennis365’s admission of editorial alteration, many in the tennis community felt Kostyuk’s underlying message remained the same.
Sabalenka is set to face Kyrgios in the modern Battle of the Sexes exhibition on December 28 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.
