The Australian Open champion and the Olympian had been dating for years.

The tennis world has been left rocked after it was confirmed Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka's partner and ice hockey player Konstantin Koltsov has died. Sabalenka had just competed at Indian Wells and was expected to take place at the Miami Open this week. Unfortunately, news broke her partner of a few years, Koltsov, had died at the age of 42.

Koltsov was an ice hockey player who had competed in the 2002 and 2010 Olympics for Belarus. He had also played in the National Hockey League from 2002 to 2006. The news of his death was confirmed by Russian ice hockey club Salavat Yulaev.

"It is with deep sorrow that we inform you that the coach of Salavat Yulaev, Konstantin Koltsov, has passed away," the Russian-based club said in the statement. "He was a strong and cheerful person, he was loved and respected by players, colleagues, and fans. Konstantin Evgenievich forever wrote himself into the history of our club. May he rest in peace."

Koltsov had won a title with Salavat Yulaev as a player in 2008 and had recently returned as an assistant coach to help the team. He had played 144 games for the Penguins in the US. The news has rocked fans with the Belarusian a very popular player on tour.

Sabalenka has won the last two Australian Open titles, which had catapulted her to World No.1 after this year's tournament. The couple had been dating for the last few years with Sabalenka posting photos of them together on her Instagram account. Fans have quickly rallied around the superstar after the tragic news on Tuesday.

Aryna Sabalenka's gesture during Australian Open

The news is devastating for Sabalenka, who lost her father Sergei in 2019. This year at the Australian Open, Sabalenka admitted she never really talks about her family in victory speeches, but wanted to thank them in 2024 after she revealed her father still remains the biggest motivation for.

"I never really speak about my family during speeches. But I just wanted to make sure that they know how much they mean to me and that they are my biggest motivation and I'm doing everything for them," Sabalenka said in the press conference after winning her second Australian Open title in a row. Sabalenka will most likely withdraw from her match at the Miami Open on Friday after the tragic news.