Who Is Aryna Sabalenka’s Boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov?

Win or lose, Aryna Sabalenka will leave the U.S. Open as the new world number 1. Joining her on tour for the past two years has been her boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov. “If you have a boyfriend who can’t follow you on your travels, it’s not easy,” Sabalenka shared last year about life on the tour. Luckily for her, Koltsov is retired from his own professional sports career and has the freedom to support her as she dominates women’s tennis.

Here are 5 things to know about Sabalenka’s boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov:

1. He’s from Minsk, Belarus.

He was born in 1981, when Belarus was still part of the Soviet Union.

2. He was drafted to the NHL in 1999.

Konstantin Koltsov wearing #71 for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006.

While he began playing in a Belarusian league, he was drafted to the NHL. In the first round of the draft in 1999, he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played 144 games for the Penguins, competing in the league until 2006. That year, he returned to Russia, where he played for the Russian Super League.

During his career, he played for Severstal Cherepovets, Yunost Minsk, Metallurg Novokuznetsk, Ak Bars Kazan, Spartak Moscow, Pittsburgh Penguins, Dinamo Minsk, Salavat Yulaev Ufa, and Atlant Moscow Oblast.

He retired from professional ice hockey in 2016.

3. He represented Belarus at the 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympics.

Konstantin Koltsov of Belarus battles for the puck during the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Koltsov was on the Belarus national team, and played for them in international competitions including at the 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympics.

4. He was previously married, and has three children.

Koltsov used to be married to Julija Milahilova. After they broke up in 2020, she posted this, igniting drama in the Belarusian and Russian media:

“We live in a world of social networks and there are too many questions … This will be the last photo with him in my insta, where we were together and where we were insanely happy!!! ❤️ Soon the damn dozen of our marriage. And we part ways,” the start of the caption reads.

Tagging Sabalenka as her husband in the picture, Julija also wrote, “And an appeal to all the girls hanging on other people’s husbands with kids in the family!!! This is mean !!! This is the most amazing and happiest time, but at the same time the most difficult, because a small child takes away a lot of energy, energy and time… It may happen that you will be there someday..”

In the aftermath of this accusation, Koltsov reportedly wrote on his Instagram, “A big request, people, if you are people, leave alone Aryna Sabalenka, who has nothing to do with this! This is a wonderful person and athlete who does not deserve universal wrath. Hope for understanding!”

5. Koltsov started publicly dating Sabalenka in 2021.

He appeared in her box at the French Open in 2021, and now travels with her around the world as part of her training team.

Emily Burack (she/her) is the news writer for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.