Sabalenka to play in Miami Open despite recent death of boyfriend

On Monday, March 18, Konstantin Kolstov was found dead in Miami in what police say was an “apparent suicide” at the young age of 42. Kolstov was an ice hockey player in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins for three years and represented Belarus at the 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympics. He retired in 2016 and became an assistant coach with Russia Kontinental Hockey League’s Salavat Yulaev Ufa.

Kolstov’s girlfriend, tennis world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, had described Kolstov as her “biggest motivation” after she won the Australian Open in January, her second Grand Slam title by the age of 25. Sabalenka is due to play Spain’s Paula Badosa on either Thursday or Friday this week after a first-round bye. Despite the tragic passing of her boyfriend (and potentially being present to witness it), she has decided to continue on and will play in the WTA 1000. She trained in one of the complex’s courts on Tuesday. She will not appear at any press conferences.