- Sabalenka has been dealing with the fallout from Koltsov’s sudden death.
- He lost in a tiebreaker to Swiatek on the clay court in Madrid on Saturday
- DailyMail.com provides the latest international sports news.
World No. 2 tennis player Aryna Sabalenka has opened up about what she calls an “intense month” following the death of her ex-boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov.
Sabalenka was on court in the final of the Madrid Open, where she fell in the tie break 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (7-9).
‘The past month has been a bit intense for me and I feel like I haven’t been on stage in forever. “I’m speechless right now,” Sabalenka said after the loss.
“Thank you so much for such an amazing tournament, thank you for the atmosphere, you guys make this place very special to me and I enjoy playing in front of all of you.”
“I just tried to make this match as long as possible to enjoy this beautiful court and this atmosphere.”
Aryna Sabalenka spoke of an ‘intense month’ after her defeat in the Madrid Open final
Sabalenka has been dealing with the loss of her ex-boyfriend Konstatnin Koltsov.
Sabalenka fell in a tiebreaker against world No. 1 Iga Swiatek on the clay courts of Madrid
‘Actually it was supposed to start from Iga; Sorry, I’m a little lost. Congratulations on another great tournament. You guys are doing an amazing job and hopefully the next tournament will be for me – we’ll trade!
‘Great play, great game. Wow, three hours is long. I hope we both recover for the next tournament.
“Thank you so much to my amazing team, I’m pretty sure I have the best team with me, you help me a lot, you always keep me going, thank you so much and I love you.”
Koltsov’s death has been ruled an “apparent suicide” after falling from the balcony of a five-star hotel in Miami.
The 42 year old manwho shared three children with ex-wife Julija Mikhailova, was initially believed to have joined his girlfriend in the city as she prepared for the Miami Open.
Sabalenka later revealed that their relationship had already come to an end as she commented on the “unthinkable tragedy” of his death.
For help, call Samaritans on 116123 in the UK or visit www.samaritans.org either www.thecalmzone.net/get-supportor call Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 in the US.