Power woman with power tennis: Sabalenka’s title for her father

Aryna Sabalenka proudly presented the trophy in New York.
IMAGO/USA TODAY Network

Aryna Sabalenka can call herself a Grand Slam champion for the third time. After her successes at the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024, she has now also won the US Open for the first time. The Belarusian is currently number two in the world behind Iga Swiatek, but she has certainly been the best player in the world on hard courts for many months.

The 26-year-old also proved that she not only plays extreme power tennis, but is also a power woman. The Belarusian’s life has not always been easy. Last year, shortly after winning the Australian Open, she had to cope with the loss of her boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov. According to police, the ice hockey player jumped from a hotel balcony and committed suicide.

For Sabalenka, who is now in a new relationship, this is not the first time in her life that she has lost an important person. When the young professional tennis player was 21 years old, her father died of meningitis and was unable to experience his daughter’s greatest successes.

It was her father who took her to tennis for the first time and then supported her in her passion. “I owe all of this to my father, who always believed in me and was a great role model for me,” Sabalenka said of her dad after her first few years on the tour.

Sabalenka’s pride in herself and her family

The Belarusian promised her father that she would win two Grand Slam titles by the time she was 25. That didn’t quite work out, but at the age of 26 she has already bagged three major titles.

“After losing my father, it was always my goal to anchor our last names in the history of tennis. Every time I see my name on the trophy, I am proud of myself, proud of my family, that they did everything they could, that I can achieve my dream,” Sabalenka said at the press conference after her triumph at the US Open.

At the moment, the Belarusian is living her dream. She plays the most powerful tennis on the tour and, at 26, still has a lot ahead of her. This third Grand Slam title in New York will probably not be her last triumph at a major.