After Danielle Collins’ successful title win at the Miami Open, 18-time Major winner Chris Evert urged her to reconsider her decision to retire in 2024 and continue playing with her racquet.
Despite being ranked outside the top 50, Collins entered this week’s WTA 1000 tournament in Miami with determination. She faced a tough match against fellow American Bernarda Pera in the first round, rallying from a set down to secure a three-set victory and advance to the second round.
From that point on, Danielle Collins was on fire, beating Ekaterina Alexandrova, Caroline Garcia, Anastasia Potapova, Sorana Cirstea, and Elina Avanesyan without dropping more than three games in a set. This impressive streak led her to her first ever 1000-level final.
At the age of 30, she went on to deliver the top performance of her campaign, defeating the fourth seed and previous year’s runner-up Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 to claim her first major title. This was a significant achievement, as she joined the ranks of unseeded players to emerge victorious in Miami, a feat not accomplished since Kim Clijsters in 2005.
Chris Evert, who emerged victorious in the 1986 edition of the tournament, wasted no time in sending her congratulations to the American on her achievement through her X (formerly Twitter) handle. The 69-year-old also playfully questioned Collins if she was truly considering retirement, as her performance was showing potential for even more major victories.
“A big Hug and Congratulations to Danielle Collins in winning the #MiamiOpen. Spectacular play throughout the whole tournament….but….”Are you really sure you want to retire?”Chris Evert wrote on her X (formerly Twitter) handle on Sunday.
“Struggling with a Chronic Inflammatory Disease: The Reason Behind Danielle Collins’ Retirement Announcement in Miami”
Following her second-round defeat to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek at the Australian Open in January, Danielle Collins revealed her plans to retire from professional tennis at some point this season. The American shared that she had other aspirations beyond her tennis career, with starting a family being at the top of her priority list.
“This is going to be my last season competing,”Collins said during her last press conference in Melbourne. “I don’t really know exactly when, but this will be my last season and I’m really looking forward to that. I have other things that I’d kind of like to accomplish in my life outside of tennis, and would like to be able to kind of have the time to be able to do that. Obviously having kids is a big priority for me.”
During this week’s Miami Open, she elaborated on the comments mentioned above, revealing that her decision to step away from the game was influenced by a “deeply personal situation.”
“I’m living with a chronic inflammatory disease that affects your ability to get pregnant. That’s a deeply personal situation,”she said in Miami. “I’ve explained that from time to time. At the end of the day, this is my personal choice. This is so much more than just tennis and my career. I’m enjoying my career. I’m having a lot of fun.”
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