MIAMI – World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka intends to play in the Miami Open this week, organisers said on March 19, following the death of her boyfriend in an apparent suicide.
Belarusian former National Hockey League (NHL) player Konstantin Koltsov died on March 18, police said, after he jumped from the balcony of a room in an upmarket resort in Miami. He was 42.
Two-time Grand Slam winner Sabalenka arrived to practise at the Miami Open venue at Hard Rock Stadium early on March 19 afternoon. 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 in January, is due to face Spain’s Paula Badosa in the second round on March 22.
Miami-Dade police spokesman Argemis Colome said in an e-mail that on March 18 at 12.39am, police “were dispatched to the St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, in reference to a male that jumped from a balcony”.
“The Miami-Dade Police Department, Homicide Bureau, responded and has taken over the investigation of the apparent suicide of Mr Konstantin Koltsov. No foul play is suspected,” the spokesman added.
Bal Harbour is a high-end district in the northern part of Miami Beach, known for a luxury shopping mall and plush accommodations.
Sabalenka frequently trains in Miami and keeps a residence in the city.
Badosa, who is well known to be a close friend of the Belarusian, said that their match will be an “uncomfortable” encounter, adding that she had spoken to Sabalenka at length since her partner’s death.
“I don’t want to talk about it. As I said before, she’s one of my best friends. Yesterday I spoke with her a lot... This morning the same. So I know what she’s going through,” the Spaniard said.
“I know the entire situation, what is happening. That for me is a little bit shocking also to go through that because she’s my best friend and I don’t want her to suffer. It’s a very tough situation.
“At the same point playing against her, it’s also uncomfortable. Yeah, but I don’t really want to talk about it because I said I’m not going to talk about it. She’s my best friend and I promised that.”
American Jessica Pegula said that the players were aware of the tragic news and are 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 said.
“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 the best you can really do is just offer support. 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.”
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. AFP
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