“My fiancé finds me crying in bed”: Aryna Sabalenka opens up on losing her father and ex boyfriend amid China Open return

Aryna Sabalenka could be one of the greatest athletes that the world has ever seen but she has constantly battled against a lot of negative events in her life. While losing her father in 2019 was one of the tragedies in her life, Aryna Sabalenka also found it difficult to deal with when her ex boyfriend, former NHL player Konstantin Koltsov, committed suicide in 2024.Aryna Sabalenka reflects on dealing with the loss of her father and ex boyfriend even as she remains focused on her careerIn an interview with Vogue, Aryna Sabalenka reflected on being approached by cops at her practice courts as she said, “I was fighting with the cop — like, I couldn’t accept it…”In another interview with TIME, the 28 year old tennis star added, “Tennis really saved me from depression…I was just trying to focus on training, just so I spend less time with myself in my thoughts. I would cry in practice a lot. It was a very tough moment in my life.”The tennis star continued, “I don’t know if there’s any cliché about how you’re supposed to grieve,” she said. “I feel like in this situation, there is no right and wrong. We all need different things. For me, going back to work is the only way. I’m 28, but sometimes I think I’ve had everything in life that you could imagine.”Aryna Sabalenka reflected on how losing her father at a pretty young age has constantly made her sad as she added, “Nowadays my fiancé will find me crying in bed in the evening because I’m watching Reels and there’s something about a father, or old times,” she shared. “The most sensitive videos for me are when I see people posting a family reaction to their kid athlete winning something, and I just imagine how my dad would react to me.”But this was not the first time that she has spoken about it; in many of her previous interviews, the tennis star has reflected on the regrets she has had with her father’s as she even blamed paramedics for not being able to hospitalise him at the right time.Despite the immense grief that Aryna Sabalenka has carried for the last few years, she has remained strong and has worked pretty hard on her career.Aryna Sabalenka gears up for China OpenFor now, her focus remains on the China Open as Aryna Sabalenka enters the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing as the No. 2 seed. She received a first round bye and automatically advanced to the round of 64 because of her high seeding.Aryna Sabalenka is scheduled to play her opening match at the 2026 China Open against Mexico's Renata Zarazúa today, October 2, 2026, on the Diamond Court.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.