Aryna Sabalenka, a life of tragedies: the death of her father and boyfriend, the war that put her in the crosshairs and the strength to move forward

Aryna Sabalenka She was still struggling with the painful loss of her father, Sergey, who died in November 2019 at the age of 42 due to meningitis, and now the Belarusian, the current two-time Australian Open champion, is mourning her boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov (43), who died in the last hours in Miami while accompanying the tennis player in the fourth WTA 1000 of the season.

And the drama is even greater for the world number two when it becomes known that Koltsov committed suicide. “The Miami-Dade Police Department Homicide Bureau responded and took over the investigation apparent suicide of Mr. Konstantin Koltsov (04/17/1981). No crime is suspected,” we read in the police report drawn up by several American media and which went around the world. Following that clue, one version claims that he jumped from a balcony. The news shocks.

Sabalenka, 25, had found in her partner the support she needed to overcome the worst moment of her life. This former ice hockey player, who played two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the National Hockey League (NHL), the most important league in the world, was retired and divided his time between accompanying his girlfriend to tournaments and hanging out time with him. dedicated to his three sons, Daniel, Alexander and Stefan.

They announced their courtship in June 2021 and have maintained a low-profile relationship. They rarely appeared together on social networks, but when they did, a strong feeling was reflected. “Konstantin is my biggest supporter. He is always there for me, through thick and thin. He is a great motivator and helps me stay focused on my goals,” the winner of 14 WTA titles said in one of those messages.

Coincidentally or causally, as everyone chooses to believe, his best years were these last. He managed to make the long-sought leap into the Slams, consecrating himself in the last two editions of Australian Open, and managed to sneak in for eight weeks in the middle of the domain of Iga Swiatek as leader of the WTA rankings.

And at the beginning of the year, after having reconfirmed the title in Melbourne, he revealed the promise he made to his father and which he kept. “The goal was to get to number one and win a couple Major for 25 years, he said at the press conference after the victory, with the champion’s trophy to his left, a glass of champagne in his hand and a smile on his face. Satisfaction of duty fulfilled.

And in a post on Instagram he remembered Sergey again. “Dad, would you be proud of me?” she wrote to accompany an image showing her looking up at the sky after beating China’s Qinwen Zheng 6-3, 6-2.

She spoke for the first time about her father’s death in January 2020, after beating Taiwanese Su Wei Hsieh in three sets on her debut at the Adelaide tournament, before an Australian Open in which she lost in the first round. It was her return to the circuit after two months without competing.

“I’m trying to fight because my dad wanted me to be No. 1. That’s what helps me be strong right now. During the pre-season it was difficult to train, especially on a mental level. I didn’t think much. I couldn’t leave the house because I knew it was a difficult situation for my family and I couldn’t leave them, but in the end I had to continue with my program. “I wasn’t excited about the games, I simply came because I had to,” expressed at that time.

Little by little he got up. “Now I play for my mother, my sister and my grandmothers,” she later said. And later she met her boyfriend, who joined her as a new boost for her career. However, the road to recovery has not been easy. In no way comparable to what she has to experience today, in 2022 she suffered tennis “double fault crisis”.

She was already number two in the world and in Adelaide she faced the Swedish Rebecca Peterson, number 93 and from quality, when he started crying in the middle of the match. “Do you feel OK?”, the churches referee at that moment and Sabalenka replied: “I cannot serve.” He didn’t jump on serve for fear of failing, but he failed anyway, and he hit that shot from underneath to at least try to put the ball in play. He logically lost. The data was devastating: 74 double faults in four games.

Who would have imagined that the following year she would win in Australia and become number one in the world? Perhaps only Konstantin Koltsov, the one who always pushed her forward, is one of them.

“I always had the strange feeling of not understanding why people asked me for autographs if I hadn’t won a Slam. I started to respect myself and understand that I am here for my job. “I realized that I’m actually a good player and I can manage emotions in many situations,” she analyzed in the press conference after her first title at Melbourne Park.

Therefore, already in 2023, in the midst of the war between Russia and Ukraine, she found herself in a better position in a new conflict. Marta Kostyuk denied him the salute in the net after the first round match at Roland Garros and Lesia Tsurenko, another Ukrainian, didn’t show up to face her at Indian Wells because she was supposedly injured, but her coach later said it was because she didn’t want to cross paths with someone involved in the war.

“A lot of people hate me for no reason. I didn’t do anything. It was really difficult for me because I had never faced so much hatred in the locker room. There are many enemies on Instagram when you lose matches, but I had never faced something like this in the locker room,” he said, half surprised and half indignant.

Now life puts her to the test again. Sabalenka chose tennis as a way to overcome the pain, which is why she has already trained in Miami and is preparing for her debut against Paula Badosa. She warned that he will not hold press conferences and will focus on himself, with his people. His strength is admirable.