“Sad story,” Aryna Sabalenka gets emotional remembering late father and opens up about importance of ‘spending time with family’
World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka's father Sergey Sabalenka passed away in 2019, at the age of just 43, due to meningitis.
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Sergey Sabalenka, Aryna Sabalenka (Images via X)
Aryna Sabalenka has kick-started her campaign for the 2025 season. She had a successful run at the Brisbane International where, in the final, she came from a set down to beat Polina Kudermetova.
The Belarusian is now a World No.1 and has clinched three Grand Slam singles titles. Though she has been accomplishing feats one after the other, Sabalenka has dealt with personal loss when her father, Sergey Sabalenka, passed away in 2019, at the age of just 43, due to meningitis. The untimely death of her father taught Sabalenka the value of spending time with her loved ones despite a hectic schedule.
It’s kind of a sad story, but right now I wish I could spend a little more time with my dad, and more time with my sister [Tonechka Sabalenka]. Time flies and you never know what’s gonna happen tomorrow. It’s really important to be close to your family and to spend more time with your family, because life is crazy, and you have to appreciate what you have.
Aryna Sabalenka told Harper’s Bazaar Australia
Sergey was an ice hockey player. It was he who introduced the 26-year-old to tennis. After she clinched the 2024 US Open with a straight-set win over Jessica Pegula, Sabalenka dedicated her trophy to her family and said since her father’s death, her goal has always been to put the family name in the history of tennis.
Sabalenka has always remembered her father during her memorable victories after that. Most recently, she looked up to the heavens to remember her Dad after her US Open title win in September.
Aryna Sabalenka opens up about the time she was denied Wimbledon participation
At the 2022 Wimbledon, Aryna Sabalenka and several players from Belarus and Russia were denied participation. This happened because Russia invaded Ukraine in February of the same year. Sabalenka just hopes that in the future, tournaments don’t ban players from participating.
It is really sad to see that sports are involved in politics in many ways because I feel like sport was created to avoid some of the more difficult times. I really hope that we’re not going to face it again. I think people will learn that sport has nothing to do with politics.
Aryna Sabalenka told Harper’s Bazaar Australia
On March 2023, Wimbledon lifted the ban and players from the two countries participated as neutral athletes. At the 2023 Wimbledon, Sabalenka reached the semifinal but suffered a three-set defeat to Ons Jabeur.
Though Sabalenka has lifted three Grand Slam singles titles, at Wimbledon, she never advanced to the final. But at the Australian Open, which starts next week, Sabalenka will be aiming to complete a threepeat, having won the title in 2023 and 2024.
In 2024, Sabalenka was unable to compete at Wimbledon due to her fitness concerns. The fitness concerns remained with her at the Paris Olympics, where she didn’t represent her country before making her return in the Autumn season in Montreal.
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Gouri Das
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