World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will face Nick Kyrgios in an exhibition match billed as the 'Battle of the Sexes' today - and Emma Raducanu is keen to see how her rival fares against the former Wimbledon finalist. The Sabalenka vs Kyrgios showdown, which will be staged in Dubai's Coca-Cola Arena and broadcast on the BBC in the UK, has courted controversy. Billie Jean King, who famously beat Bobby Riggs in the second 'Battle of the Sexes' match in September 1973, has already told the BBC that this iteration is "not the same".

The tennis icon added: "The only similarity is that one is a boy and one is a girl. That's it." Many have questioned whether there is a point to Sabalenka's clash with Kyrgios, and whether it will invite criticism of women's tennis. But the exhibition match has also garnered plenty of attention, and British No. 1 Raducanu is intrigued to see what will happen.

Speaking during her off-season last month, Raducanu said: "Yeah, I want to see if they both go flat out, but it will be interesting. I don't think I'll watch it all live, but I think I'll watch some highlights or a recap of it."

The world No. 29 has her own experiences of sparring with male players. Raducanu signed up to the US Open's two-day mixed doubles event in August, pairing up with ATP No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. They lost their opening match to Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper. And Raducanu also got to practice with six-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz.

Sharing her own view on the technical differences between the men's and women's game, Raducanu explained: "I would say that is a big thing, the impact of their ball for example. It wasn't long but I hit with Carlos in New York, and the impact of his ball is like... It looks like he's not trying, but on your strings, it's so heavy. That compared to a girl, usually they hit the ball flatter, except Iga [Swiatek] hits a very spinning ball. And there are certain exceptions on the women's game. Aryna's ball is pretty heavy, too.

"But I'd say the heaviness of the impact is different, and also just their strength in certain positions. You think you've hit a good shot, and they're just able to get behind the ball like an extra step and generate and kind of one-up you and use your pace. Whereas, for example, when they play me, I'm just not able to be in that position and generate the same from that. So, I'd say that, and obviously the serve, which is a big difference."

Raducanu has had her share of tough battles with four-time Major winner Sabalenka. The Brit lost a tight two-setter at Wimbledon this summer, leading by a break in both sets before suffering a 7-6 6-4 defeat. At the Cincinnati Open a few weeks later, Raducanu pushed Sabalenka to a final-set tiebreak before bowing out.

While she has already competed in mixed doubles, Raducanu isn't interested in facing a male player on the singles court. "No. I don't think anyone would sign up for that! Honestly. But I think it would just be cool for the public. It's the first time it's been done, so just be interesting," she said.

Sabalenka vs Kyrgios is the fourth official duel to be branded a 'Battle of the Sexes'. But it will use unconventional rules. The court dimensions will be nine per cent smaller on Sabalenka's side, and the players get just one serve each. The match will be best-of-three sets, with a first-to-10-point tiebreak played in place of a third set.

While Sabalenka has just come off another strong season - maintaining her spot as the world No. 1, winning four titles, including the US Open, and reaching two other Grand Slam finals - Kyrgios has battled injuries for the better part of six years. He made a short-lived comeback in January but has not played an official tournament since March.

Now ranked down at No. 671 in the world after his injury woes, Kyrgios is set to return to competition at the Brisbane International next month and will need a wildcard if he wants to compete in the Australian Open.