While Danielle Collins has hinted at her plans to start a family, she has remained relatively private about her relationship. However, during a recent interview at the Charleston Open, she opened up for the first time about her partner, sharing the story of their meeting and how their relationship began.
Collins met her boyfriend Brian after Wimbledon
Talking to Tennis Channel after her quarterfinal win over Elise Mertens at the Charleston Open, Collins disclosed that her boyfriend, Brian, had just arrived after a demanding week of work in Boston to join her at the WTA 500 tournament. Their relationship began unexpectedly when they crossed paths at a London coffee shop shortly after Collins competed in Wimbledon last summer.
Reflecting on their initial encounter, Collins shared:
We have been going out for a while now. We met at a coffee shop in London, so that was pretty exciting. I didn’t think I would meet someone at a coffee shop. Who would have thought? Just after the tournament, Wimbledon.
Following her brief stint at Wimbledon, where she defeated Julia Grabher in the first round but narrowly lost to Belinda Bencic in the second round, Collins opted to remain in London a while longer, which ultimately led to her meeting Brian.
Brian didn’t follow tennis and wasn’t aware of Collins’ popularity
“I’m me, this is how it is and I’m not going to change for anybody.”
Danielle Collins is unapologetic about who she is!
Also spills the tea on her new boyfriend ???? pic.twitter.com/XjWAitichH
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) April 5, 2024
Interestingly, Brian’s lack of interest in tennis and his unfamiliarity with Collins’ career proved to be refreshing for the tennis star who played the Australian Open final in 2022 (at the time, her boyfriend was model Joe Vollen).
“He didn’t know anything about tennis, and he didn’t know I was a tennis player, which was really nice,” Collins revealed. “He was actually a bigger fan of golf, and so he said, ‘Well, I really like golf. I don’t really know much about tennis.’ And I was like, ‘Yes! That’s so exciting.’ Because it’s fun to be around someone with interests in other things and who’s not as familiar with the sport because you get to learn and grow with them and help them.”
Collins hasn’t had much opportunity to teach Brian tennis because of his work commitments, although he does attend her matches regularly, and they enjoy playing golf together. Despite this, the 30-year-old hopes to team up with him for husband-wife doubles in the future. She also shared that her partner has a very competitive personality, as he was a football player at Columbia. She also said that Brian is an engineering major and is very smart. Reflecting on their golf matches, Collins humorously remarked, “Love him to death, but hate losing to him,” highlighting their spirited dynamic on the course.
Collins’ Miami-Charleston winning streak
The world No.22 Collins is enjoying great success in what is definitely her last season on the WTA Tour. Following her triumph at the WTA 1000 Miami Open, the American has extended her winning streak to 12 matches, advancing to the final of the Credit One Charleston Open. In Sunday’s final, she will face off against Daria Kasatkina, presenting a formidable challenge in her quest for a second straight title.
Collins to end career in 2024, has pregnancy plans
During her impressive fortnight in Miami last month, Collins kept repeating that despite her impressive recent results, her retirement plans would not change. She mentioned health issues and implied that her desire to get pregnant was a factor in her decision to leave the tour, saying:
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.
Visit our WTA Players and their Love Partners page for more information about the relationships of tennis stars.
