Danielle Collins’ fairytale story: From announcing retirement after painful Australian Open loss to winning biggest title of her career at Miami Open

The tennis community has been shocked by former World No. 7 Danielle Collins’ incredible performance at the Miami Open, where she captured the title in a stunning fashion.

Despite a disappointing beginning to the year at the Australian Open, Collins revealed her intention to retire by the end of the year. However, she remained determined to regain her top form and achieved quarterfinal finishes in both Doha and Austin.

The American player arrived at the Miami Open after being eliminated in the second round of the Indian Wells tournament, where she was defeated by Iga Swiatek. She began her journey with a challenging victory over Bernarda Pera, winning 3-6, 6-1, 6-1. She then dominated her opponents, including Elina Avanesyan, Sorana Cirstea, Caroline Garcia and Ekaterina Alexandrova, on her way to the finals. There, she faced a tough challenge against Elena Rybakina, but ultimately emerged victorious.

Despite facing difficulties in her previous three encounters with Rybakina on the main tour, Collins was able to capitalize on her recent strong performances and defeat the Kazakh in straight sets (7-5, 6-3) to claim the championship title.

Despite being considered a front-runner or dark horse in the Miami Open, Danielle Collins proved her doubters wrong with a remarkable win. She also made history by becoming the lowest ranked player (No. 53) to ever win the title. At the start of the year, Collins was ranked outside the top 70, but after her victory, she will enter the top 30 in the WTA rankings on Monday (April 1).

“Danielle Collins Reflects on Emotional Victory at the Miami Open in Her Home State”

Danielle Collins discussed her emotional victory in her home state at the Miami Open this week.

Despite encountering difficult obstacles throughout the competition, Collins only lost a single set and dominated over five of the top 30 seeds on her path to securing the championship. This triumph stands as the greatest accomplishment of her career thus far and her initial main tour title in nearly three years.

It is noteworthy that Collins hails from Florida. In her pursuit of a career in tennis, she was granted a scholarship from the University of Florida to study sports management. She also competed for one season with the Florida Gators in college tennis. Achieving her first WTA 1000 win on her home turf was a momentous occasion for the American.

Upon reflecting on her recent victory, Collins also expressed her appreciation for the unwavering support she received from her close friends and family during her matches.

“A lot of emotions out there to have won this tournament, my home state, and the feeling that I’ve like playing in front of thousands of my best friends. Everywhere I looked, people were supporting me,”she said. “There was a woman by my towel box who was encouraging me and pumping me up. And in the other corner, there were other family that was giving me words of encouragement. I’ve never experienced anything like it and it is just really special being in my home state and to have won my first 1000.”

Despite being questioned about her decision to retire at the end of the year, the 30-year-old firmly stated that she has no intention of changing her mind and continuing her career.

“No, I’m not (smiling). Thank you, though. I feel like all of these questions are coming from such a good place, because I feel like a lot of people would like to continue seeing me play well,”Danielle Collins said in her post-match press conference in the finals. “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. I hope everyone can respect that. It’s a very emotional and personal thing. Yeah.”