“Elena Rybakina is not an easy person to break, she is a monster out there” – Danielle Collins on her tactics to beat Kazakh in Miami Open final

During a recent discussion, Danielle Collins discussed the tactics and strategies she utilized in order to secure her victory against Elena Rybakina in the final match of the 2024 Miami Open.

Collins, who was unseeded, secured the Miami Open title by defeating Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3. This marked her third WTA singles title, first WTA 1000 title, and first victory since 2021.

Following her victory, Danielle Collins became the sixth American woman to claim the Miami Open title, alongside esteemed players such as Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, and Sloane Stephens.

In her post-match interview with Prakash Amritraj on Tennis Channel, Collins praised Elena Rybakina’s abilities on the court, noting her tenacity and labeling her as a formidable opponent. She also referred to the World No. 4 as a dominant force on the court.

“I mean, it’s really tough. Elena [Rybakina] is not an easy person to break. Those are some big serves coming in. She is a monster out there and it’s like that for everybody. And I had to be really patient with myself. I had to give myself targets. I had to have a plan,”Collins said (at 2:57).

Despite acknowledging that Rybakina pushed her to her limits, Collins also recognized that it was this challenge that motivated her to strategize and execute her shots at a “high level”, ultimately resulting in her securing the title.

“Every time I walked up to that baseline, I can definitely say I showed up every single point, even the ones that she painted the lines and was going for it. I was really thinking about a lot tactically and technically, and it forced me to return at a high level, and I think that’s why I returned so well,”she added.

Danielle Collins Credits Opponent Elena Rybakina’s Performance in Match

In the previously mentioned interview, Danielle Collins stated that she had to stay extremely concentrated in order to successfully return Elena Rybakina’s serves.

It was stressed that competing against Rybakina required a level of focus that had never been required before at the Miami 1000 tournament.

“I mean Elena’s got a really big game and I think it was all about serving and returning those first. Those first shots are the most important in any match, but especially when you’re playing against a big server and someone with great returns. So I had to be really on it and it required an amount of concentration that I have not been pushed to at this level at this tournament,”Collins said (at 2:03).

Collins recognized that it was a difficult match and not a straightforward victory facing off against Elena Rybakina, a player with numerous significant achievements on the WTA Tour.

“Elena was hitting some incredible shots. She was backing me up. I had to do a good job of absorbing, getting down low, moving to the ball, and also trying to get a read on the serve as much as I could. But it’s tricky. I mean, she’s number three in the world, Wimbledon champion. She’s got a lot of accomplishments and there’s a reason for that. She is not an easy person to read with her shots, and it’s hard to anticipate where she’s going to go,”she added.