World quantity two Aryna Sabalenka’s a lot anticipated return to the court docket on Friday following the obvious suicide of former boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov earlier within the week was delayed when heavy rain prevented the beginning of play on the Miami Open.
Within the first match of the day on Grandstand court docket Sabalenka was scheduled to face good buddy Paula Badosa in a second spherical encounter after receiving a primary spherical bye.
The 25-year-old Belarusian issued a short assertion on Wednesday saying her “coronary heart was damaged” by the “unthinkable tragedy” however has in any other case remained out of the highlight.
The assertion was additionally the primary point out because the tragedy that the couple had break up.
The Miami-Dade police division confirmed on Tuesday that they’d responded to a name the day earlier than at a Miami resort about reviews of a person leaping off a balcony. The police mentioned no foul play was suspected.
Koltsov, 42, performed for the Belarus nationwide staff on the 2002 and 2010 Olympics and spent elements of three seasons with the Nationwide Hockey League’s Pittsburgh Penguins between 2003 and 2006.
The information of Koltsov’s demise despatched a shockwave by means of the Miami Open as Sabalenka’s fellow gamers rallied round her, together with her opponent Badosa.
Badosa arrange the assembly with the participant she known as her greatest buddy on Tuesday with a win over two-times Grand Slam winner Simona Halep, who was making her return to competitors following a doping suspension.
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“It’s not a simple problem, it’s a psychological one,” mentioned Badosa about going through two-times Australian Open champion Sabalenka. “I do know the complete state of affairs, what is going on.
“That for me is somewhat bit surprising additionally to undergo that as a result of on the finish she’s my greatest buddy and I don’t need her to undergo.”
The probabilities Sabalenka or anybody else getting on the Arduous Rock stadium complicated courts on Friday appeared unlikely with the forecast calling for regular and generally heavy rain and thunderstorms by means of into early Saturday.
Play was to start at 11am ET (1500 GMT) however has already been pushed again an hour twice with the earliest begin now 1pm ET (1700 GMT).
The rain comes on the worst attainable time because the event hits the weekend with a full slate of huge names scheduled to make their first appearances, together with girls’s world primary Iga Swiatek and defending males’s champion Daniil Medvedev together with dwelling favourites Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz.