World No 2 Aryna Sabalenka has been hit with an unimaginable tragedy as her boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov has died while accompanying his girlfriend at the Miami Open.
The Minsk-born Koltsov, a former professional ice hockey player who played for NHL outfit the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2002 to 2006 and the Belarus national team at the Olympics, was 42 at the time of his death.
In a statement, the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) team announced the 42-year-old’s passing, stating: “We regret to notify you of the passing of Salavat Yulaev’s coach, Konstantin Koltsov.
“Players, teammates, and fans all adored and respected him for being a strong, happy person.” Konstantin Evgenievich etched his name in our club’s history for all time. I hope he finds peace.
In addition to competing at the Winter Olympics in 2002 and 2010, Koltsov scored 21 goals and provided 16 assists while playing for the Belarusian national team in 67 international games. He participated in 144 Penguins games over
The tennis player shared a picture of themselves on Instagram in 2021, captioning it, “It’s good when there is someone who is able to understand my madness but you won’t get bored with me, right @koltsov2021? ❤️.” Sabalenka, the reigning Australian Open champion, and Koltsov were first seen together.
Daniel, Alexander, and Stefan were Koltsov’s three boys from a prior marriage that terminated in divorce in 2020.
He went with Sabalenka to a number of major competitions, which included her championship run at the Australian Open this year. The tennis player posted numerous photos of them on social media.