Konstantin Koltsov’s ex-wife has said the boyfriend of tennis star Aryna Sabalenka was “most likely very drunk” when he died.
Koltsov, 42, a Belarusian former professional ice hockey player, was found dead at a hotel in Miami, Florida, on Monday. He was in the city to support Sabalenka in the Miami Open.
Police investigating his death have said it was an “apparent suicide” after they found no evidence of “foul play”.
Police in Miami-Dade confirmed on Tuesday they responded to a call at a Miami resort about reports of a man jumping off a balcony.
The department said: “At approximately 12.39am, Bal Harbour Police and Fire Rescue were dispatched to the St Regis Bal Harbour Resort in reference to a male that jumped from a balcony.
“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.”
Aryna Sabalenka . Pic: AP
But Konstantin’s ex-wife Yulia Mikhailova, has told Belarusian news outlet Zerkalo that it was an accident and she doubts he took his own life, adding, “most likely, he was very drunk”.
She said: “Empty alcohol bottles were found in the room where Konstantin stayed. There was a balcony overlooking the ocean. Probably Konstantin did not keep track of his actions.”
Ms Mikhailova accused the media of making a mistake, saying: “I think it was your colleagues who misunderstood something. Or they passed off the police’s assumption of suicide as a fact.”
She said there was nothing in her former husband’s behaviour to suggest suicidal thoughts.
After accessing his email via an old family computer, she said she had discovered he had booked different apartments in a different location, was waiting to receive things he had paid for and he had “rented a car for a long time”.
Though she admitted that “right now it is impossible to say for sure whether it was suicide or an accident”, she was adamant that “he did not intend to die. Anything, of course, can go to your head, but there was no sign of tragedy”.
Konstantin Koltsov. File pic: Reuters
She found out about his death on Monday, she said, “from a detective”, who “tried to present the news as gently as possible. But, of course, I was in a state of shock”.
She said the three sons she had with Koltsov are struggling, admitting “it’s more difficult for the eldest sons, Daniil and Alexander, they understand everything well. They are 18 and 16 years old”.
“The youngest, Stefan, is five years old. He thinks that dad is in heaven now.”
Sabalenka is going to continue playing tennis despite Koltsov’s death and faces a close friend, Spaniard Paula Badosa, in the Miami Open on Friday.
Badosa admitted playing against the Belarusian world number two will be “uncomfortable”.
In widely-quoted remarks, she said: “She’s my best friend and I don’t want her to suffer. It’s a very tough situation.
“At the same point, playing against her, it’s also uncomfortable. But I don’t really want to talk about it because I said ‘I’m not going to talk about it’. She’s my best friend and I promised that.
“She’s a strong woman. I think she will get the power from somewhere. I hope it’s going to be a battle, a good match.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. Alternatively, letters can be mailed to: Freepost SAMARITANS LETTERS.