"There must be something wrong with me" - Aryna Sabalenka opens up about 'crazy' year marked by injury, death of ex-boyfriend, World No. 1 rise & more

Aryna Sabalenka described her "crazy" 2024 during a recent press conference ahead of the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Belarusian suffered a deep personal loss and a rare injury earlier in the year but she fought back on the court in the past few months, now reaping the rewards of her resilience.

Sabalenka faced a personal tragedy when her former boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov, died in March this year. Koltsov was a retired professional hockey player who died by "apparent suicide." He played for Belarus in the 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympics and for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL.

Sabalenka released a statement calling Koltsov's death "an unthinkable tragedy" and asking for privacy for herself and his family.

Later in the year, the Belarusian had to withdraw from Wimbledon due to a shoulder injury. She described the injury as "specific" and "rare," and said she was probably only the second or third tennis player to injure that muscle.

Sabalenka then skipped the Olympics and began her hardcourt season earlier than most of the top WTA stars. She reaped the rewards in the form of titles in Cincinnati, the US Open, and most recently Wuhan.

Moreover, Sabalenka was also crowned the World No. 1 in October. Iga Swiatek lost points as a penalty for missing the mandatory WTA 500 events leading to the Belarusian leapfrogging her.

At a press conference ahead of the WTA Finals, the 26-year-old was asked to sum up her year filled with ups and downs.

"Crazy, isn't it? There must be something wrong with me," Aryna Sabalenka said while smiling. "I would say this year was definitely up and down, sometimes really downs. Was tricky. Yeah, that was tough, tough year. A lot of crazy stuff happened to me."

"As I always say, there's always reason behind. Sometimes we cannot control others. Sometimes whatever happen to you is not under my control. I just have to move forward and I have to do what I love, make sure that I have a lot of positive moments with my friends, family, with my team. That's all about it," she added.

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"I'll do everything I can to finish the year as world No. 1" - Aryna Sabalenka ahead of the WTA Finals 2024

Aryna Sabalenka training ahead of the WTA Finals 2024 (Image: Getty)

During the same press conference, she affirmed her goal to finish 2024 atop the WTA rankings.

"I always been saying that for me it's about to finish the year as world No. 1. That's definitely one of my goals. I'll do everything I can to finish the year as world No. 1," Aryna Sabalenka said.

The 26-year-old fondly recalled the moment her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis, broke the news of her reaching World No. 1. Initially in disbelief, she now aims to finish the year at the top.

Sabalenka will begin her WTA Finals campaign in Riyadh on Saturday (Nov. 2) against Zheng Qinwen.