WORLD NUMBER TWO Aryna Sabalenka intends to play in the Miami Open this week following the death of her boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov.
Koltsov, a Belarusian former NHL ice hockey player, died at a resort in Miami Beach on Monday aged 42.
Miami-Dade police officers said no foul play is suspected, and that they are investigating Koltsov’s death as an “apparent suicide”.
Two-time Grand Slam winner Sabalenka arrived to practice at the Miami Open venue at Hard Rock Stadium early on Tuesday afternoon and later organisers said she had not asked to withdraw and was “intending to play.”
The 25-year-old from Minsk, who won the Australian Open in 2023 and retained her Melbourne title earlier this year, is due to face Spain’s Paola Badosa in the second round.
American Jessica Pegula said that the players were aware of the tragic news and offering support to Sabalenka.
“I think all of us all heard about it last night and then obviously there’s more news about it this morning, which was just really horrible,” she told reporters.
“All you can do is really offer support for however she wants to deal with it. You never know how someone is going to take it or how they want to grieve and everyone’s so different.
“So I think the best you can really do is just offer support. And you know, that’s really comforting. I hope for her to know, that even though we’re all competitors and we’re on kind of the stage where we’re trying to beat each other, at the same time, we’re still somewhat of a family,” she added.
Koltsov’s playing career included a stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL, where he made 144 appearances between 2003 and 2006.
He also played for Belarus at two Winter Olympic Games — Salt Lake City in 2002 and Vancouver in 2010 — as well as nine world championships.
He had three children with his wife Julia, whom he divorced in 2020 before he began a relationship with Sabalenka.
If you have been affected by any of the issues mentioned in this article, you can reach out for support through the following helplines. These organisations also put people in touch with long-term supports:
- Samaritans 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org
- Text About It – text HELLO to 50808 (mental health issues)
- Aware 1800 80 48 48 (depression, anxiety)
- Pieta House 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444 – (suicide, self-harm)
- Teen-Line Ireland 1800 833 634 (for ages 13 to 19)
- Childline 1800 66 66 66 (for under 18s)
