By Erik Gudris | @atntennis | Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Aryna Sabalenka opens up for the first time in a new interview about the mental health challenges she faced following the death of her ex-partner in March.
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Sabalenka, 26, gave a new interview to the UK Guardian where she spoke at length for the first time about the death of her ex-boyfriend, former international ice hockey player and fellow Belarusian Konstantin Koltsov, at the age of 42, which it just happened. before the Miami Open.
Sabalenka admits that now, after much reflection, she probably should have done things differently to cope with the personal loss.
“I lost my father once, and tennis helped me overcome that difficult loss,” says Sabalenka in the interview. “So at that moment (of Koltsov’s death) I thought I had to keep going, keep playing, keep doing my own thing to separate my personal life from my professional life.”
Aryna Sabalenka: “I thought I had to move on … it damaged my mental health” https://t.co/KSwHLVyBN6
— Guardian Sport (@guardian_sport) August 21, 2024
In 2019, Sabalenka endured the sudden loss of her father Sergey, choosing to continue playing and focus on her career. The two-time reigning Australian Open champion opted for a similar plan after Koltsov’s death. Although she made a brief statement on social media about his death and thanked her fans for their support, Sabalenka chose to carry on despite what she called an “unimaginable tragedy.”
Koslov’s death was ruled an apparent suicide by local police.
Sabalenka, after news of Koltsov’s death broke, surprised many by choosing to play in Miami. A few days later, Sabalenka played against her good friend Paula Badosa in an opening round match. After all, Sabalenka left early in Miami and Stuttgart and now feels she should have taken more time to recover mentally.
“But in the end I would say that I was fighting a lot in terms of health because I didn’t stop. It was really emotional and really stressful and it took a toll on my mental health at the time. “Maybe, looking back now, I’d say a better decision would have been to retire, reset and recharge and start all over again. But I did what I did. In the end I paid for my decision, but I’m very happy to have tennis in my life and it’s really helped me get through everything and become stronger.”
ARYNA SABALENKA 🐯
pt. 10 – the queen and her prize 👑 pic.twitter.com/FQTCdKvccf
— Cincinnati Open (@CincyTennis) August 21, 2024
Sabalenka later this summer withdrew at the last minute from Wimbledon due to a shoulder injury. Since she needed to recover, she did not compete in the Summer Games in Paris. The extended time off was necessary according to the WTA star.
“It was really sad and I was trying really hard not to play at Wimbledon, of course, but at the same time I was able to take advantage of all the benefits of that 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 get all the good sides of not competing in tournaments. “In the end I realized that it was very necessary. Now I feel physically and mentally much better and much stronger.”
Sabalenka, who recently won the Cincinnati Open, enters as the No. 2 in the women’s draw at this year’s US Open, which begins Monday.
Photo: Getty
