Aryna Sabalenka jokes about boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov getting more access at Stuttgart Open

Aryna Sabalenka made a lighthearted remark regarding her boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov's seemingly gaining greater access than her at the 2023 Stuttgart Open.

Sabalenka is in Stuttgart to compete in the 45th edition of the prestigious Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. This WTA 500 tournament is scheduled to take place from April 17 to 23, 2023. Accompanying the World No. 2 is Koltsov, who is there to provide unwavering support throughout her campaign.

On Sunday, April 16, Aryna Sabalenka took to social media to share a picture of her and Koltsov's Stuttgart Open Access card. The picture revealed that Koltsov had been granted more access privileges, despite Sabalenka being the participating player.

"Why he has more access than I do? 😂😂😂 @koltsov2021," Sabalenka captioned her Instagram story.

Aryna Sabalenka's Instagram story

Sabalenka's boyfriend, Koltsov, is a former ice hockey player from Belarus. He also played for the NHL team Pittsburgh Penguins for three seasons. Additionally, he represented his native Belarus at the Winter Olympics in both 2002 and 2010.

Although the exact date of Sabalenka and Koltsov getting together remains unknown, the couple have been together for quite some time now. Their first Instagram post as a couple dates back to June 2021.

Aryna Sabalenka hopes to play her best tennis during the clay season

Aryna Sabalenka at the 2022 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Stuttgart

Aryna Sabalenka has won an impressive 20 matches this year and suffered only three losses. As the clay season looms on the horizon, the second-ranked Belarusian is determined to maintain her remarkable consistency by staying focused on her own game and tuning out any external distractions.

"The key would be just to focus on myself, don't think about social media, don't think about the people, expectations," Sabalenka said. "Just focus on myself. Just do my thing, and I believe that if I'm going to play at the same level or even better, wins will come. I just have to keep working hard and keep moving forward."

"There were some tough lessons in the first part of the season. I'll just learn, reset, and start working again from the beginning. I'll do my best to make sure I bring my best tennis on the clay court season," she added.

Sabalenka struggled to find her footing on the red clay last year. Her campaign got off to a rocky start with a shocking first-round exit at the Madrid Open. However, she bounced back with a strong showing in Italy, where she reached the semi-finals. Unfortunately, her run was cut short at the French Open, where she suffered a third-round defeat.