"In this situation, there is no right and wrong": Aryna Sabalenka fought cops after sudden passing of ex-boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov
WTAMonday, 18 May 2026 at 20:10
Aryna Sabalenka has called her outbursts a 'necessary evil' to her success and said that she was a lot worse when she was younger as she said that it is key as she has often thrown racquets and berated her team.
But when she wins titles, it is a lot more of a cordial atmosphere with on of her trainers Jason Stacy often in the box with a signed head as a superstition. Sabalenka was on the front cover of Vogue and described her tempestuous nature ahead of Roland Garros.
Sabalenka has been at the head of multiple emotional outbursts including launching a racquet at a ball kid last October and shouting at a spectator to shut up during the Miami Open final.
"I would get super emotional all the time,' she said in Vogue. 'I was, like, under zero control. I could lead the match, then be super crazy and let it go. I knew that I had a problem," she said in Vogue.
"I feel like all of us think, "Okay, I should win every match." If you're not thinking that way, then what are you doing? When you're in the top five and you're winning Grand Slams, it's not okay to be okay with losing. That's my mentality,' Sabalenka said.
"When I was young, I would get emotional, and then I would get really p***ed with myself for getting emotional. Now I understand that it's okay to throw the racket. It's okay to yell something. It's okay to go nuts if you feel like you're holding too much in.
"Sometimes you just need to let it go, to empty it so you're ready to start over and play the match. Yeah, sometimes it looks ugly and terrible, but I need it in order to keep my head in it."
Aryna Sabalenka reacts against Hailey Baptiste of the United States during the Women's Singles quarter-final match on day nine during the Mutua Madrid Open
Koltsov's suicide
She also spoke for the first time since the passing of her ex-boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov who commited apparent suicide. It wasn't known at the time whether they were still together but they broke up prior. Sabalenka defended going back to work immediately after also.
"I feel like in this situation, there is no right and wrong,' she told Vogue. 'We all need different things. For me, going back to work is the only way. I'm 28, but sometimes I think I've had everything in life that you could imagine."
But at times it has been a life of grief who suddenly lost her father also earlier in her career and she spoke about dealing it. "People say that time helps, but in some ways I struggle more now because I know how much fun my dad would be having with my success."
"Nowadays my fiancé will find me crying in bed in the evening because I'm watching Reels and there's something about a father, or old times,' she added. 'The most sensitive videos for me are when I see people posting a family reaction to their kid athlete winning something, and I just imagine how my dad would react to me.
"I'm crying like crazy, like I just lost him. There are so many fathers on tour, and when I see a healthy relationship and a proud dad, I think, Girl, just enjoy it, because you never know what's coming. You're so lucky."
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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