“I lost my father four years ago. We had one dream, that before 25 I will win a couple of grand slams,” Aryna Sabalenka said in the final episode of Netflix’s 2023 documentary Break Point. The 26-year-old player now has two Australian Open grand slams in her pocket! However, along the way, she has experienced multiple defeats, injuries, and heartbreaks, but has always kept her usual sunny disposition alive. What might be the secret behind it? Well, it all came down from her father, Sergey!

Since Aryna Sabalenka turned pro in 2015, she made a place in fans’ hearts with her giggles during interviews, playful antics, and candid remarks on her social media. Even during her on-court interview in Cincinnati, we saw her make a hilarious reference to her ‘boyfriends’ instead of ‘boyfriend,’ (Georgios Frangulis) while thanking him after the match. And it left the tennis world in stitches. However, very few know the poignant story behind her carefree spirit. Sabalenka’s father’s passing in 2019 due to meningitis has profoundly influenced her outlook on life.

Ahead of the US Open, the Belarusian player sat down for a pre-tournament conference. There, an interviewer quizzed her, “Over the years, so often, we’ve seen you laughing, joyous, giggling, rubbing somebody’s bald head, having a lot of fun. Could you talk about the joy you feel, the little girl giggles. Where did that come from? Does that help you on the circuit?” On hearing this, Sabalenka confessed, “I think my personality came from my father. I wish he would be still alive. I think we would have so much fun together right now.”

Sabalenka’s father’s unexpected death at 43 profoundly impacted her, leading her to prioritize a healthier work-life balance. Speaking about it, the Cincinnati Masters winner added, “Lately, I just realized that this is not how things works. You have to balance this hard work, these expectations, pressure, and everything with little joy. You know, you have to find, like, things which bring you joy, and I have my crazy team and we have so much fun together.”

Interesting fact: It was Sergey, an ice hockey player, who introduced Sabalenka to tennis during her childhood. “One day, my dad was just driving me somewhere in the car, and on the way he saw tennis courts. So he took me to the courts. I really liked it and enjoyed it and that’s how it was.

What followed after that were years of struggle that ultimately led Sabalenka to achieve the World No. 1 ranking (last year). However, the Belarusian kept herself grounded while also keeping her free-spirited side alive. Furthermore, in the interview, she added, “I think that’s really important to balance these things. Just trying to be me off the court, you know, just not to be too serious or too focused.”

Moreover, Sabalenka discussed how tennis provided solace during her father’s passing, but failed to offer the same comfort after her former boyfriend’s death.

Aryna Sabalenka opens up about her “health struggles” after ex-boyfriend’s demise

In March this year, Aryna Sabalenka went through a difficult phase involving her ex-boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov’s, sudden demise. However, she held her head high and showed up at the Miami Open’s practicing session just a day later. Opening up on that, Sabalenka admitted,

“Once, I lost my father and tennis helped me to go through that tough loss. 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.”

Further revealing how it had a negative impact on her mental health, the 26-year-old added, “At the end, I would say I was struggling a lot health-wise because I didn’t stop. It was really emotional and really stressful and kind of damaged my mental health at that point.”

Aryna Sabalenka, the last year’s runner-up, is now aiming for a victory in New York this season. Her characteristic free-spirited personality is sure to add a touch of excitement to the tournament.