The current Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka marked her return to social media after a long absence where she thanked her fans for their love and support after her ex-boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov passed away in March.
Koltsov, a former hockey player who played for NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, died by “an apparent suicide” as called by the Miami-Dade Police Department as no foul play had been suspected.
Taking to her Instagram account, Sabalenka posted a story where she thanked her fans for supporting her in her difficult time saying that their words mean so much to her.
"I want to take a moment to say thank you to all my fans for your outpouring [of] love and support during this difficult time," Sabalenka wrote in a statement on her Instagram stories.
"Your kind words mean so much and I carry them with me every day. I am so grateful for you all."
Earlier, Sabalenka crashed out of the Miami Open after losing to Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 as she continues to struggle after her remarkable Australian Open 2024 campaign.
Koltsov’s death came just after years after the death of Sabalenka’s father, Sergey Sabalenka, who, just like Koltsov played professional hockey and passed away at the young age of 43.
Sabalenka has always spoken highly of her father and credited him for becoming a professional tennis player.
Remember, Sabalenka and Koltsov had been dating for three years after linking up with one another for the first time in 2021. The two often used to post pictures together on social media.
Koltsov had always been a big support for Sabalenka as he used to travel regularly with her girlfriend to support her during the tournaments.
