Police have said the death of the boyfriend of tennis star Aryna Sabalenka is an “apparent suicide" with no evidence of "foul play".
Former Belarusian professional hockey player, Konstantin Koltsov, was found deceased at a hotel in Miami, Florida, aged 42 on Monday.
Sabalenka is due to play her first match in the Miami Open on Friday.
The WTA ranked world number two reportedly still plans to play in the tournament despite the tragedy.
In a statement, a Miami-Dade Police Department spokesperson said: “According to investigators, on Monday, 18 March, at approximately 12.39am, Bal Harbour Police and Fire Rescue were dispatched to the St Regis Bal Harbour Resort.
“The Miami-Dade Police Department, Homicide Bureau, responded and has taken over the investigation of the apparent suicide of Mr Konstantin Koltsov. No foul play is suspected."
Mr Koltov’s death was announced by the Russian hockey club he previously played for, Salavat Yulaev.
It said in a statement: “It is with deep sorrow that we inform you that the coach of Salavat Yulaev, Konstantin Koltsov, has passed away.”
Paying tribute to him, a club spokesperson described him as a “strong and cheerful person" who “forever wrote himself into the history of our club.”
It is the second time Sabalenka has lost a loved one at a young age, with her father Sergey – another former ice-hockey player – passing away at 43 after contracting meningitis in 2019.
Sabalenka, 25, was due to begin her Miami Open campaign on Friday but was absent from Tuesday’s practice schedule.
According to People magazine, Sabalenka and Koltsov were together for close to three years.
He was in attendance in Melbourne in January for Sabalenka’s successful defence of her Australian Open title, in which she defeated China's Zheng Qinwen to take the crown.
