Aryna Sabalenka Discusses Losses and Grief in New Interview

In a new interview, world number one tennis player Aryna Sabalenka has opened up about the profound personal losses that have shaped her life and career, while defending her passionate on-court demeanor. The 28-year-old Belarusian spoke candidly about the deaths of her father in 2019 and her former boyfriend in 2024, and how she has navigated grief in the public eye.

Sabalenka’s father, Sergey, a former hockey player who introduced her to tennis, died suddenly of meningitis at age 43. She described the family’s belief that his death was preventable, stating that paramedics twice declined to take him to the hospital before finally doing so on the third day, by which time it was too late. She said the loss shattered her younger sister and revealed that her father’s pride in her early career was a key reason she continued with the sport during a period when her family faced financial struggles. Sabalenka said a primary motivation in her career is to honor his memory and put the family name in tennis history.

The interview also details her reaction to the death of her former boyfriend, former NHL player Konstantin Koltsov, in Miami in March 2024. Authorities ruled it an apparent...