“I almost teared up” – Danielle Collins overwhelmed by Andre Agassi’s presence during her win over Elena Rybakina in Miami Open final

According to Danielle Collins, the presence of Andre Agassi in the stands during her match against Elena Rybakina in the women’s singles final of the Miami Open 2024 evoked a range of emotions within her.

On Saturday, March 30, Collins emerged victorious with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Rybakina, securing the Miami Open women’s singles trophy. She achieved this by earning 82 points out of the total 157 during their showdown.

Both Collins and Rybakina exhibited impressive discipline in the first set, maintaining their serves until Collins seized a break point in the 12th game to gain the advantage.

Despite a rocky start, the following set saw Collins and Rybakina trading breaks in the second and third games. After that, both players held their serves for the next four games. But in the eighth game, Collins was able to break Rybakina’s serve and secure the win by holding her own serve in the ninth game.

Despite being initially content with the win, Collins expressed to the Tennis Channel after the match that Agassi’s presence in the stands added an even greater emotional depth to her victory.

“When I saw Andre was watching the match, I almost teared up, I’m like, ‘This is surreal, I used to watch this guy on TV as a kid and now I’m here and he’s in the stands.’ It’s just been a crazy ride so I’m just so grateful,”she said [at 6:58].

One of Agassi’s most notable achievements is his shared record with Novak Djokovic for winning the most Miami Open titles in men’s singles. Agassi has claimed victory at Miami Gardens six times, accomplishing this feat in 1990, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2002, and 2003.

In the years 1990, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2002, and 2003, the American triumphed over Stefan Edberg, Pete Sampras, Goran Ivanisevic, Jan Michael-Gambill, Roger Federer, and Carlos Moya in the final matches.

Danielle Collins Reflects on Her Inspiration from Andre Agassi’s Return Game

According to the same source, Danielle Collins shared that she used to admire Andre Agassi for his skill in making returns.

“Andre Agassi was my ‘return idol’. I can’t tell you how much footage I watched of Andre staying inside the baseline, ripping returns,”Collins said.

At the time of his retirement in 2006, Agassi had a first serve win percentage of 32% and a second serve win percentage of 56% since he began his professional career in 1986.

Agassi’s total of 60 tour titles included eight Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.