Aryna Sobolenko explained why she didn't pause her career after her boyfriend's death

World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka has opened up about why she didn't leave tennis after the tragic death of her boyfriend. The Belarusian tennis star revealed that she felt she should have taken a break from her career following the personal loss.

"Once, I lost my father, and tennis helped me get through that difficult time. So, in that moment [when Koltsov passed away], I thought I just needed to keep playing, keep doing my job, to separate my personal life from my career. But in the end, I would say that I had major health problems because I didn’t stop.

It was very emotional and stressful, and at that moment, my mental health suffered. Looking back now, I’d probably say the best decision would have been to take a step back, reset, and start over.

But I did what I did. In the end, I paid the price for my decision, but I’m very glad tennis is in my life. It really helped me get through everything and become stronger," explained the World No. 2.

It's worth noting that just a few days after her boyfriend's death, Sabalenka competed in the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami.

On August 19th, the Belarusian won the Cincinnati tournament, defeating Jessica Pegula in the final.