Sabalenka lifts lid on impact after ‘unthinkable tragedy’

Aryna Sabalenka revealed the mental toll of enduring the death of her former partner this year as she heads into the US Open as the betting favourite.
The Belarusian star has had to battle illness and injury at various points throughout 2024, with a shoulder problem ruling her out of Wimbledon and a stomach bug that cruelled her hopes at Roland Garros.
However, in March, Sabalenka was dealt an emotional blow when her ex-boyfriend, the former international ice hockey player and fellow Belarusian Konstantin Koltsov, died suddenly.
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At the time Sabalenka said “while we were no longer together, my heart is broken” but rarely spoke about it apart from a brief statement on social media.
Aryna Sabalenka was seen training in Miami following the shock death of her partner Konstantin Koltsov. Twitter
It was only due to her shoulder injury during the grass season, Sabalenka allowed herself to process what she described as an “unthinkable tragedy”.
Before that, she approached it the same way she approached her father’s death in 2019 – to keeping hitting balls. But now she realises that was not the right path.
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“Once, I lost my father and tennis helped me to go through that tough loss,” she said. “So at that moment [of Koltsov’s death] I thought I had to just keep going, keep playing, keep doing my thing to separate my personal life from my career life.
“But at the end I would say I was struggling a lot health-wise because I didn’t stop. It was really emotional and really stressful, and kind of damaged my mental health at that point.
“Probably, looking back right now, I would say that a better decision would have been to step back, reset and recharge, and start everything over again.
“But I did what I did. At the end I paid for my decision, but I’m really glad that I have tennis in my life and it’s really helped me go through whatever and get stronger.”
She added the injury helped her recover mentally while she rehabbed physically.
“I realised it only after I was injured and had to step back that actually it was something much needed.
“It was really sad and I was struggling a lot not to play Wimbledon, of course, but at the same time I was able to take all the benefits from the time.
“I was doing 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 sides of not competing on tour.
“At the end I figured out that it was much needed. Now I feel physically and mentally much better and much stronger.”
Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz are listed as the money-line favorites to win the singles championships at the US Open, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
The No.2-ranked Sabalenka — who has won each of the past two Australian Open titles and was the runner-up in New York last year – leads the pack after taking the trophy at the Cincinnati Open.
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek, whose five Grand Slam titles include the 2022 US Open, is next, ahead of defending champion Coco Gauff and 2022 Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina.