Loss often pushes people to the point of not being able to perform properly while grieving. Aryna Sabalenka might have to face this reality. She, along with the rest of the world, has just found out that Konstantin Koltsov recently passed away. Regardless, the Belarusian tennis legend will still push through with her Round of 64 match against Paula Badosa at the Miami Open. She is keeping her bereavement private but still made the time to address the death of the NHL forward, via the New York Post.
“Konstantin’s death is an unthinkable tragedy, and while we were no longer together, my heart is broken. Please respect my privacy and his family’s privacy during this difficult time,” Aryna Sabalenka wrote in her Instagram story.
The second-ranked WTA player in the world is going through a lot. With this, Aryna Sabalenka also decided not to tend to post-match conferences at the Miami Open.
The news of Konstantin Koltsov's death came as a shock to everyone in the world of sports. It was reported to be an apparent suicide. Statements from the Miami-Dade Police Department posit that the unfortunate incident happened at St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort. The officers' help was elected at 12:39 am on a Monday due to a male who jumped from the balcony. Later on, they would find out that the person was Konstantin Koltsov. No foul play is suspected by the officials.
Moments later, Salavat Yulaev broke the news to the world with a statement.
“It is with deep sorrow that we inform you that Konstantin Koltsov has passed away. He was a strong and cheerful person, he was loved and respected by players, colleagues, and fans. Konstantin Evgenievich forever wrote himself into the history of our club. May he rest in peace,” Yulaev said.
Koltsov and Aryna Sabalenka's relationship
Koltsov played three seasons in the NHL. All of those were spent with Pittsburgh Penguins where he was trusted at forward from 2002 to 2006. He was also able to lead Belarus to two Olympic appearances in 2002 and 2010.
Sabalenka and the former NHL player have been seen with each other way back in 2021. Since then, Sabalenka had a lot of success on the tennis courts. She rose up to second in the WTA world rankings and won a fair amount of games in the majors. Sabalenka won the Australian Open women's singles category in consecutive years from 2023 to 2024. In those games, she faced off against legendary Elen Rybakina and Qinwen Zheng respectively.
She also just fell short of another grand slam title in the 2023 US Open. In scorelines of 2-6, 6-3, and 6-2, hometown great Coco Gauff won leaving Sabalenka to a runner-up finish.
Now, she has to play in the Miami Open after a tough blow to her morale due to the loss of Koltsov. Sabalenka is known for taking down her opponents one at a time due to her mental fortitude. She is certainly focused on beating down Paula Badosa first before anyone else in the Miami Open. Hopefully, a great match is in store in the Round of 62. Importantly, fans and media should be able to give her time to grieve.
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