Danielle Collins highlights why she is a force for good in tennis with personal statement

Kevin Palmer
Danielle Collins trophy presentation
Danielle Collins of the United States during post-match press conference.

Danielle Collins has served up one of the most compelling storylines of the WTA Tour season and now she has added a final twist to what she insisted would be her farewell year in tennis.

The 2022 Australian Open finalist had intended to call it a day at the end of 2024 with plans to start a family but admitted fertility problems linked to endometriosis have prompted a rethink.

Collins, who was diagnosed with the condition in 2021, revealed in January that she wanted this to be her final season on tour, and she stuck to her guns despite a brilliant first half of the year that saw her win back-to-back titles in Miami and Charleston.

Currently ranked ninth in the world, Collins has been absent from the tour recently amid health problems but eyebrows were raised when her name appeared in the US team for the United Cup in Australia, the opening event of the 2025 season.

The 30-year-old wrote on Instagram: “While I was very excited and eager to wrap up my tennis career on a high note this year and jump headfirst into my next chapter of life, things have not gone as planned.

“In addition to managing some lingering health challenges the past few months, I’ve recently been seeing a handful of specialists to better understand what my best path forward is to achieve my ultimate dream, starting a family.

“Dealing with endometriosis and fertility is a massive challenge for many women and something that I am actively traversing, but I am fully confident in the team I am working with. It is just going to take longer than I thought.

“So, the DANIMAL (her nickname) story has not reached its conclusion. I will be back on tour in 2025.

“While there are no guarantees in life, I hope to build on my 2024 momentum and keep playing until there is more certainty around my personal fertility journey. The only guarantee for now will be some more epic matches.”

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Collins’ willingness to open up on her very personal medical issues is one of the reasons why she is one of the more fascinating characters in the women’s game.

This is not the first time she has spoken out about issues many players would rather keep away from the public glare, with his eagerness to speak out ensuring she is a force for good in the women’s game.

It was back in 2022 that she made comments that captured headlines, as she enjoyed her best run at a Grand Slam despite revealing the challenges she was facing off the court.

“When so much of the advice you’ve gotten over the years, certainly the advice that I had got over the years, is that painful periods are normal, taking anti-inflammatories on a regular basis is normal, I felt like it was something that I just had to deal with,” she said after her quarter-final victory at the Australian Open.

“It finally got to the point where I couldn’t deal any longer with it physically or mentally. Once I was able to get the proper diagnosis and the surgery, I feel like it’s helped me so much – not just from a physical standpoint but from a mental standpoint.

“When you’re dealing with that type of physical pain multiple weeks out of the month, you’re not putting yourself in a position to be able to perform consistently and to be at your best, whether as an athlete or a person.”

Collins was expected to call time on her career after next month’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga, yet this decision to continue playing will be welcomed by her army of fans around the tennis world.

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