Aryna Sabalenka’s boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov suddenly passed away at the age of 42 while accompanying her at the Miami Open tennis tournament. According to the latest Belarusian media reports, the reason for his untimely death was a detached blood clot.
The ex-hockey player Koltsov’s passing was confirmed by his former club, Salavat Yulaev, on the social messaging site Telegram on Tuesday.
“With deep sorrow, we inform you that Salavat Yulaev coach Konstantin Koltsov has passed away,” the Russian club from the city of Ufa broke the news that shook the tennis world. “He was a strong and cheerful person, loved and respected by players, colleagues, and fans. Konstantin Yevgeniyevich has forever inscribed himself in the history of our club.”
There is currently no information about whether Koltsov had any previous health problems, while everyone is also waiting for the tennis player to comment. Reportedly, on the day before his death, he had decided not to renew his contract with the Russian hockey team where he had been coaching for the past two seasons.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka and Koltsov began sharing their relationship with the public in June 2021. There was a veil of drama and mystery surrounding the couple, as Koltsov was notably older than the 25-year-old Sabalenka and had three children from his previous marriage with Julija Mihailova (sons Daniel, Alexander and Stefan). The tension escalated when the ex-wife shared her bitterness about Koltsov’s refreshed love life on Instagram.
Sabalenka’s life has been marred by tragedies, as she lost her father, also a hockey player, in November 2019 when he was in his early 40s. It was her father, Sergey, who introduced her to tennis at the age of six, but he passed away before he could witness his daughter lift two major trophies in Melbourne and reach the No.1 ranking.
IMPORTANT UPDATES: Initial reports suggested a blood clot was the cause of death, then it was said to be a suicide, while the latest development comes from Koltsov’s ex-wife Julija Mihailova who claims that he must have been very drunk and accidentally fallen from the 23rd floor of the St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort in Miami. Not long after the disturbing news, Sabalenka confirmed that she would not withdraw from the Miami Open and two days after Koltsov’s passing the Belarusian tennis player made a shocking revelation that he was actually her ex-boyfriend at the time of the tragedy.
