Aryna Sabalenka regrets her decision to “keep playing” after ex-boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov’s death

Aryna Sabalenka disclosed about her mental struggles following her ex-boyfriend's demise and how she chose tennis as an escape.

Aryna Sabalenka regrets her decision to “keep playing” after ex-boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov’s death

Aryna Sabalenka (Via Imago)

Former World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka seems to have found her mojo back as she clinched the Cincinnati Open title. The Belarusian, who missed out on a series of tournaments including the Wimbledon Championships and the 2024 Paris Olympics due to injuries, was back to her best in Cincinnati.

The past few months have not been easy for Sabalenka. While she has had her share of physical problems, the 26-year-old also endured the death of her ex-boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov, which left her distraught and devastated.

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Sabalenka tried to cope with it the same way she got over her father’s death in 2019 – by toiling on the court. However, it did not work this time around. She faced early exits in two tournaments immediately after that incident and was then eventually sidelined with injuries. Now, after gaining her mojo back, she regrets the decision to keep playing following her ex-boyfriend’s death. 

Once, I lost my father and tennis helped me to go through that tough loss. So, at that moment [of Koltsov’s death] I thought I had to just keep going, keep playing, keep doing my thing to separate my personal life from my career life. Probably, looking back right now, I would say that a better decision would have been to step back, reset and recharge, and start everything over again.
Aryna Sabalenka told The Guardian

That said, the 26-year-old is thankful for having tennis in her life as it has helped her go through all hardships and emerge stronger.

Aryna Sabalenka calls her shoulder injury a blessing in disguise

While Aryna Sabalenka continued to compete on the tour despite the major personal setback, she was eventually sidelined due to a shoulder injury. In hindsight, she said it was a blessing in disguise.

Aryna Sabalenka vs. Elina Svitolina
Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X)

Sabalenka said that being away from the tennis court helped her immensely as it made her realize that a break was much needed for her. 

I realised it only after I was injured and had to step back that actually it was something much needed. It was really sad and I was struggling a lot not to play Wimbledon, of course, but at the same time I was able to take all the benefits from the 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 take all the good sides of not competing on tour.
Aryna Sabalenka told The Guardian

The Belarusian missed out on tennis action for more than a month, missing the Wimbledon Championships and the Paris Olympics. She returned to action at the Citi Open, where she reached the semifinals. She then bowed out of the Canadian Open in the quarterfinals before bagging the Cincinnati title ahead of the US Open.

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