‘She’s a strong woman’: players offer support to grieving Aryna Sabalenka
Paula Badosa admits it will be “uncomfortable” to meet best friend Aryna Sabalenka at the Miami Open following the death of world number 2’s friend Konstantin Koltsov.
Sabalenka was pictured practicing on social media on Tuesday, a day after 42-year-old former ice hockey player Koltsov died in Miami in what police described as an “apparent suicide”. Her first match is scheduled for Thursday against Spaniard Badosa, who defeated Simona Halep when the Romanian returned from a doping ban.
Badosa said of Sabalenka: “Yesterday I talked to her a lot. Same thing this morning. So I know what she’s going through. I know the whole situation, what’s happening. That’s a bit shocking for me to experience that too, because at the end of the day she’s my best friend and I don’t want her to suffer. It’s a very difficult situation.
“At the same time, it’s also uncomfortable to play against her. But I don’t really want to talk about it because I said I’m not going to talk about it. She’s my best friend and I promised that. She is a strong woman. I think she’ll get the power from somewhere. I hope it will be a battle, a good match.”
Caroline Wozniacki became emotional when she spoke about the situation during her press conference. The Dane said: “I can’t even imagine what she’s going through right now. I’m tearing up too. It’s such a terrible situation. It is so hard. I contacted her and told her I was here if she needed anything.
“I love Arina. I think she’s such a wonderful person. She is always so happy and out there. It’s heartbreaking to see her go through this. Everyone grieves in a different way. Today she walked by. I gave her her space. I let her know that if she ever needs anything, I’m here for her.”
Koltsov, who played in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins, regularly supported Sabalenka at tournaments. The news was announced by the Russian ice hockey team Salavat Yulaev Ufa, where Koltsov had been an assistant coach. Sabalenka’s father Sergey, also a former ice hockey player, died in 2019 at the age of 43.