Aryna Sabalenka's boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov dies in Miami, aged ...

Tennis world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka suffered a sudden and shocking bereavement when her boyfriend, former international ice-hockey player Konstantin Koltsov, died at the age of just 42.

This is the second time that Sabalenka has lost one of those closest to her at an appallingly young age. In 2019, her father Sergey – another former ice-hockey player – also passed away at 43.

Koltsov was in Florida with Sabalenka, where she had been scheduled to play in the Miami Open this week. Sabalenka was still listed on the draw at the time of writing.

Forward Koltsov played for the Belarus national team in the 2002 and 2010 Olympics and spent parts of three seasons with the National Hockey League’s Pittsburgh Penguins between 2002 and 2006. Some as-yet-unconfirmed reports suggest that his death may have been caused by a pulmonary embolism.

“It is with deep sorrow that we inform you that the coach of Salavat Yulaev, Konstantin Koltsov, has passed away,” Salavat Yulaev, which is based in the Russian city of Ufa, said in the statement.

“He was a strong and cheerful person, he was loved and respected by players, colleagues, and fans. Konstantin Evgenievich forever wrote himself into the history of our club.

“May he rest in peace.”

Renowned for his speed on the ice, Koltsov won the Russian Super League title with Salavat Yulaev in 2008 and more recently returned to the club as an assistant coach.

Sabalenka and Koltsov were first linked in June 2021, according to People magazine, and she has frequently posted photos of them together on her Instagram account.

“I love you @‌koltsov2021,” she wrote in one post that included heart and other emojis.

“Happy birthday my love. You are my dearest person, my best friend and my strongest support. Peace be with you, strength, patience and health.

“I hope we will have everything we planned I love you.”

Koltsov – who is reported to have had three children from a previous relationship – also applauded Sabalenka after the Belarusian won her second consecutive Australian Open title in January.

The tragedy of Sabalenka’s father Sergey’s death featured in Netflix’s behind-the-scenes documentary series Break Point. In the opening episode of season two titled ‘The Curse’, after Sabalenka had won her first grand slam in Melbourne at the start of last year, the cameras caught her speaking to her mother over the phone.

“Mum, don’t cry, I’m starting to cry, cameras are filming me here,” Sabalenka told her mother. “Mum, don’t start talking about Dad, damn it.”

She added via a translated voice note: “My mum, she was crying, saying that ‘your dad would be super proud of you’.

“It’s really sad because I really want him to be here, I really want to call him and hear what he would say.

“Right now his surname is on that trophy, which means a lot.”

In season one of Break Point, Sabalenka opened up on the impact of her father’s death and how she wanted to dedicate her career to his.

“I lost my father four years ago. We had one dream, that before 25 I will win a couple of grand slams,” she said.

“When he passed away, I started thinking too much about it. Now I’m 24 and there is zero in my pocket.”

‘The Curse’ episode was named as such after nine of the 10 featured players in the Netflix tennis series were eliminated from the 2023 Australian Open by the end of the first week. It’s at that point that it focuses solely on the last star remaining in either singles draw, Sabalenka, and the remainder of the Belarusian’s victorious campaign. At the series’ premiere at the start of this year, she joked “What f------ Netflix curse?”