Miami Open makes a heartwarming gesture for a grieving Aryna Sabalenka ahead of her second-round clash with Paula Badosa

Sabalenka and Badosa will meet for fifth time in a Tour match with their head-to-head currently locked in at 2-2.

Miami Open makes a heartwarming gesture for a grieving Aryna Sabalenka ahead of her second-round clash with Paula Badosa

Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa (Image via IMAGO)

Aryna Sabalenka continues to prepare for her campaign at the 2024 Miami Open despite the sudden passing of her partner Konstantin Kolstov. As the World No. 2 gets herself ready for her second-round match, the tournament organizers have won fans over with a sweet gesture.

Kolstov tragically passed away on 18th March in Miami. While the official investigation continues, close sources have claimed it to be a case of suicide although nothing has been confirmed yet. Fans and Sabalenka’s colleagues have been very concerned for her well being and so has the tournament.

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As she was the second seed, she had a bye in the first round. Following Paula Badosa‘s comeback victory against Simona Halep, the Spaniard was confirmed as the opponent for Sabalenka. As a result, the two best friends were expected to go head-to-head on Thursday, 21st March.

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But with the tragedy that’s come down on Sabalenka, the tournament organizers have decided to make some scheduling changes. Instead of asking her to play on Thursday, they have shifted her match to Friday, 22nd March.

This will allow her an extra day to get ready, more on the mental level than her physical fitness. The player has often spoken about how difficult it was to cope with her father’s sudden passing back in 2021. With a similar situation at present, the tournament’s gesture reflects that she’s not alone in this difficult time.

Fans appreciate Miami Open organizers for their action to help Aryna Sabalenka

The gesture is small in terms of the pain Sabalenka would be going through. But showing support to her in this difficult time sends out a positive message to everyone. It shows the concern of the tournament towards its players and their ability to sideline business interests over humanity.

Aryna-Sabalenka-AO24
Aryna Sabalenka (Image via Imago)

The move was widely appreciated on social media by fans. They appreciated the tournament organizers and also the director James Blake, a former World No. 4 on the ATP Tour.

Sharing a wide spectrum of reactions online, here’s what fans have to say:

https://twitter.com/Nadal_istheGOAT/status/1770558805996146968
https://twitter.com/SharpSportsLLC/status/1770559243927568521

How well Sabalenka plays will be a different question given the emotional turmoil she would be in. But one can expect the spectators in the stadium to show love towards her when she takes the court. The tournament has also agreed to let her skip post-match press conferences to not invade her privacy.

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