Aryna Sabalenka speaks openly about the death of her ex Konstantin Koltsov

Tennis star Aryna Sabalenka speaks for the first time about the death of her ex-boyfriend, a hockey player Konstantin Koltsovand how this affected their mental health.

“I once lost my father and tennis helped me to cope with this loss,” said 26-year-old Sabalenka in an interview with The Guardian published on Wednesday, August 21. At this moment [of Koltsov’s death] I thought I just have to keep going, keep playing, keep doing my thing, keep my personal life separate from my professional life.”

Sabalenka, however, regrets that she chose tennis despite the pain. “But in the end I had a lot of health problems because I didn't stop,” she explained. “It was very emotional and stressful and kind of damaged my mental health at that point.”

Koltsov died in March at the age of 42 in an apparent suicide. At the time, Miami-Dade police said We weekly that they had responded to a call from the St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort and no third-party negligence was suspected.

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In addition to mourning the loss of the former NHL player, Sabalenka struggled with several illnesses earlier this year, including a shoulder injury that forced her to withdraw from Wimbledon.

“Looking back now, I would probably say it would have been a better decision to step back, restart and start everything over again. But I did what I did,” she said of dealing with Koltsov's death and her health struggles. “In the end, I paid for my decision, but I'm really happy that tennis is part of my life. It really helped me get through everything and become stronger.”

In fact, Sabalenka views her shoulder injury as something positive, as it forced her to take a break from tennis. “I only realised it was really something I desperately needed after I was injured and had to slow down,” she told the outlet. “It was really sad and obviously it was really hard for me not to play Wimbledon, but at the same time I was able to take full advantage of the time. I did a lot of rehab and treatment, but I was able to enjoy my life and my time away from tennis and take all the good things out of not being on tour.”

Today, Sabalenka says she feels “physically and mentally much better and much stronger” as she prepares to compete in the 2024 US Open in New York City later this month.

Sabalenka had previously addressed Koltsov's death in an Instagram Story statement in March, subtly clarifying reports that the two were still together. “Konstantin's death is an unimaginable tragedy and although we were no longer together, my heart is broken,” she wrote at the time. “Please respect my privacy and the privacy of his family during this difficult time.” (Sabalenka and Koltsov had been romantically linked since 2021, but the timing of their split is unknown.)

Related: NHL tragedies: The deaths that shocked the hockey world

A series of tragic deaths on and off the ice has left the world of professional hockey in mourning. On March 18, 2024, former NHL players Konstantin Koltsov and Chris Simon were pronounced dead in separate cases, the latest in a series of deaths that have rocked the sport. Koltsov, who played for the […]

Sabalenka has since moved on with the founder and CEO of Oakberry Georgios Frangulis. She confirmed their relationship in an Instagram video shared by the Berlin Ladies Open in June, pulling up Frangulis' Instagram profile and referring to him as her “boyfriend” when asked to show her favorite Instagram account.

Sabalenka hinted that her relationship with Frangulis became romantic after they came into contact with Oakberry through a business deal. “We signed the contract, then we got to know each other and somehow we ended up together,” she told the outlet.

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