Danielle Collins, currently playing her final season in professional tennis, has made headlines for her dream fortnight at the Miami Open, where she won her first-ever WTA 1000 title. Despite her exceptional display on the court, the 30-year-old remains steadfast in her decision to retire, citing health reasons that are an emotional and sensitive topic for her.
After beating Elena Rybakina in Saturday’s Miami final, Collins was once again asked whether she was reconsidering retirement, to which the American replied without hesitation: “No, I’m not. Thank you, though.”
Despite grappling with the occasional frustration stemming from such inquiries, Collins approached the question from a positive perspective this time: “I feel like all of these questions are coming from such a good place, cause I feel like a lot of people would like to continue seeming me play well. But like I said, I have some health challenges, and with those health challenges it makes things for me away from the court a little more difficult and I hope that everyone can respect that. It’s a very emotional and personal thing.”
In one of earlier press conferences, after reaching the Miami Open semifinals, Collins expressed her frustration with retirement questions and opened up about her struggle with a chronic inflammatory illness:
“I think it’s really interesting how in a lot of different situations I have had to kind of justify the reasons behind retirement. I’m living with a chronic inflammatory disease that affects your ability to get pregnant, and so that’s, like, a deeply, like, personal situation. I’ve kind of explained that from time to time.”
In January, while in Australia, Collins expressed her desire to have children. Ultimately, her retirement is a life decision that transcends her tennis career; therefore, despite any successes she may achieve in her final year on tour, she will harbor no regrets about stepping away from the sport:
“You know, I find it so interesting, because I kind of felt like when I was announcing my retirement, everyone has been so, like, congratulating me and so excited for me. But then on the other hand, I feel like I have had to justify my decision a lot. I feel like if I was a guy, I probably wouldn’t have to justify it that much.”
Earlier this year, speaking to the WTA, Collins stated that she had successfully managed her health problems in terms of her tennis career, pointing that they did not play a factor in her decision to retire:
“Even though I have had a lot of challenges previously, this is the best that it’s been. I finally got to the point where I’ve been able to manage it well and been able to take care of my body, manage around the cycles and all of that fun stuff. I just feel like I’m getting to that stage in life where I’m ready for something new.”
Collins started her professional career in 2016. Three years later, she disclosed her diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, and in 2021, she underwent emergency surgery to address endometriosis.
“I haven’t been on tour that long, compared to some of the other players. Because I did go the college route, so I didn’t really start on tour until I was 22. In some ways it seems like it was just yesterday when I started playing and in other ways it seems like I’ve been out here for an eternity.”
