Aryna Sabalenka Admits She Avoids Posting About Personal Tragedies On Social Media
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Aryna Sabalenka's personality is open and engaging, but the reigning US Open champion revealed that she finds it difficult to discuss challenging moments in her life on social media.
Sabalenka has built a reputation as one of the most fun and outgoing people on the WTA Tour. Throughout the year, she regularly posts videos of herself dancing or participating in activities with her team and boyfriend.
Although the Belarusian's endearing personality adds to her popularity, that does not mean she has not faced hard moments. One of the toughest was the loss of her father at a young age.
Sergey Sabalenka was just 43 when he passed away from meningitis. The WTA world No. 1 still thinks about her father often and revealed that her fun and happy nature came from him.
Last year, Sabalenka emotionally admitted she wished Sergey could see everything she had achieved and knew they would have had so much fun together traveling around the world at tournaments.
The three-time Grand Slam champion's grandfather is also dead. In an interview with Flaunt Magazine, Sabalenka discussed lighting a candle in the church to honor them in the past but did not want to post about something so challenging on social media.
"I’m really open. But I have to say, when I lost my dad, from time to time, I would go to the church and put a candle for his memory and the memory of my grandfather. It’s something you never show on social media. I’m not gonna be the one in the church filming."
It is entirely understandable that Sabalenka did not want to discuss her father's death publicly so soon after it happened. She focused on making him proud by being a successful player, which the two-time Australian Open winner has undoubtedly achieved.
The 26-year-old, who lost the recent 2025 Australian Open final to Madison Keys, also tried to use tennis to cope after enduring another tragedy last year involving her ex-longtime boyfriend.
Konstantin Koltsov, a former hockey player, dated Sabalenka for about three years. They were no longer together by the time of the 2024 Miami Open when he was found dead at the hotel he was staying in.
Police in Miami-Dade found no evidence of foul play and felt a suicide was the most likely cause of death. Sabalenka had yet to play her opening round match in Miami when the terrible incident occurred.
Many would have taken some time off after such a personal tragedy. However, Sabalenka did not withdraw from the Miami Open, losing in the round of 32, and then played a full clay court season afterward.
Sabalenka subsequently admitted she should have taken a break, but her resilience last season after what she went through was incredible. She won a maiden US Open title and finished as the year-end No. 1 after Koltsov's death.
Fans will be able to watch Sabalenka for the first time since her Australian Open final loss at next week's 2025 Qatar Open, a tournament she skipped in 2024 after winning her second Grand Slam in Melbourne.
