Two-time Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka has admitted she should have taken a break from tennis earlier this year when her ex-partner died.
Konstantin Koltsov, a former ice hockey player, died in March while Sabalenka was competing at the Miami Open.
When news first broke of Koltsov’s death, it was widely reported that he and Sabalenka were still in a relationship.
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However, Sabalenka clarified that they had broken up, but she was still devastated by the “unthinkable tragedy”.
“Konstantin’s death is an unthinkable tragedy, and while we were no longer together, my heart is broken,” Sabalenka wrote on social media.
“Please respect my privacy and his family’s privacy during this difficult time.”
Sabalenka practised the day after his death and took on good friend Paula Badosa in the first round at Miami.
She won that match, but then lost in the second round and suffered another early exit the following tournament in Stuttgart.
Sabalenka’s tough times continued at the French Open when she crashed out with a stomach illness before then missing Wimbledon and the Olympics through a debilitating shoulder injury.
But she has returned to the court and heads into next week’s US Open as one of the favourites after winning the Cincinnati Open earlier this week.
Aside from that brief statement, Sabalenka hasn’t spoken about the emotional toll of Koltsov’s death until now.
In an interview with The Guardian, Sabalenka admitted she should have done things differently.
“Once, I lost my father and tennis helped me to go through that tough loss,” she said.
“So at that moment [of Koltsov’s death] I thought I had to just keep going, keep playing, keep doing my thing to separate my personal life from my career life.
“But at the end I would say I was struggling a lot healthwise because I didn’t stop. It was really emotional and really stressful, and kind of damaged my mental health at that point.
“Probably, looking back right now, I would say that a better decision would have been to step back, reset and recharge, and start everything over again.
“But I did what I did. At the end I paid for my decision, but I’m really glad that I have tennis in my life and it’s really helped me go through whatever and get stronger.”
Sabalenka also said the injury-forced layoff may have been a blessing in disguise.
“I realised it only after I was injured and had to step back that actually it was something much needed,” she added.
“It was really sad and I was struggling a lot not to play Wimbledon, of course, but at the same time I was able to take all the benefits from the time. I was doing a lot of rehab and treatment, but I was able to enjoy my life and my time away from tennis, and take all the good sides of not competing on tour.
“At the end I figured out that it was much needed. Now I feel physically and mentally much better and much stronger.”