Paula Badosa has supported her good friend after she suffered a stroke of fate
Tennis star Aryna Sabalenka has received further support from opponent Paula Badosa after her second-round victory at the WTA tournament in Miami. “She’s a very, very strong woman, a strong personality,” said Badosa, referring to the 25-year-old from Belarus: “We’re both strong women, we proved that today.”
The friends also shared an intimate hug on the net.
A few days before the match, Sabalenka’s former partner Konstantin Koltsov had died. The world number two had subsequently asked the WTA to be released from her media duties at the tournament. Badosa had already supported Sabalenka before the match. Both also played in all-black outfits.
Sabalenka’s strong sporting performance in her 6:4, 6:3 win came as no surprise to the Spaniard: “We are both mentally very strong,” said Badosa after the match: “I knew she would play well. We know that we’ve been through a lot in our lives and that we’re strong women. “
The former NHL player Koltsov died at the age of 42, as the Belarusian Ice Hockey Federation announced on Tuesday. Koltsov died “suddenly”, the statement said. According to AFP, the police in Miami, where Koltsov died, believe it was suicide. Kolzow played for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL from 2002 to 2006.
