Danielle Collins won the biggest title of her career but refuses to reconsider "very emotional and personal" retirement plans; you can watch the Miami Open men's final on Sunday, plus over 80 tournaments a year, including the US Open, exclusively live on Sky Sports Tennis
Monday 1 April 2024 08:11, UK
Following her fairytale Miami Open victory, American Danielle Collins confirmed she is not reconsidering retirement from tennis at the end of this year.
The 30-year-old overcame fourth seed Elena Rybakina in just over two hours to win her first Masters 1000 title in her farewell season on the WTA Tour.
"I have always wanted to win every tournament that I have signed up for, but I do think that because it is my last year, I really wanted to try to win a Masters 1000 this year," said Collins after winning the third WTA title of her career.
"That's really important to me. That's something that I talked a lot about with everybody close to me. I really wanted to make a push to be able to bring out my best tennis.
"I'm so glad that I have been able to figure out some of the physical things I have needed to do to peak at the right time and to feel like I'm ready to go. I certainly did that this tournament, but it has been a goal. So I got to tick it off the list."
The former Australian Open runner-up announced in January she would be quitting the sport in 2024 and that she hoped to start a family.
Asked if she was reconsidering those plans, Collins said: "No, I'm not.
"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.
"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."
"I'm living with a chronic inflammatory disease that affects your ability to get pregnant," said Collins, who revealed in 2019 that she had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.
"That's a deeply personal situation. 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.
"I love coming out here and competing. But this is a really big life decision and that should be pretty understandable."
The 30-year-old wondered if a male player would repeatedly be asked to justify his decision to retire.
"I find it so interesting, because I felt like when I was announcing my retirement, everyone has been like congratulating me and [been] so excited for me," she added.
"But then on the other hand, I feel I've had to justify my decision a lot. I feel like if I was a guy, I probably wouldn't have to justify it that much."
Collins, who is from Florida, thanked the home crowd for their vocal support throughout the match, saying: "It was just such a happy day for me on the court.
"Whether I won or lost, having the crowd support, I have never gotten to experience anything like it. It literally felt like I was playing in front of thousands of my best friends, I just - yeah, I'll never forget it."
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