Danielle Collins feels like it’s time to hang up her boots and her racquet.
If the tough loss to Iga Swiatek at the ongoing Australian Open wasn’t already a disheartening moment for her fans, Danielle Collins made a surprising decision- announcing that she’s calling it quits from the sport.
A former World No. 7 who has been a finalist at the Austrlian Open, Collins suffered a close defeat to the 1st ranked Swiatek at Melbourne Park on Thursday. Despite taking a 4-1 lead in the decider set, Collins ultimately suffered a straight-set 6-4 3-6 6-4 loss to the four time Grand Slam champion Swiatek.
Iga Swiatek hits the Rafa Nadal one-handed backhand smash angle volley.
This shot is incredibly difficult to hit for both ATP & WTA players.
Iga made this look easy. 🇵🇱
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 18, 2024
Collins clinched the second round entry at the 2024 Aus Open following a win over Angelique Kerber in the opening round. She defeated the German player by a margin of 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.
Danielle Collins wants accomplishments outside of tennis
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The 30-year-old American, currently ranked 62nd in the world revealed her surprising decision to the media during the press conference after the match, stating that this will be her final season and she now wants to focus on having a family and focus on her life outside of tennis.
“This is going to be my last season, actually, competing,” said Collins during the press conference. “I don’t really know exactly when, but this will be my last season and I’m really looking forward to that.”
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“I feel like I’ve had a pretty good career. There has certainly been ups and downs to it, and I think the travel and some of the things away from the court with scheduling and all of that, this is a really tough sport,” she went on. “I have other things that I’d kind of like to accomplish in my life outside of tennis, and would like to be able to kind of, you know, be able to have the time to be able to do that. Obviously having kids is a big priority for me.”
“I feel like I have kind of gotten to the point where obviously they matter and, you know, my career means a lot to me, but the end of the day, you know, you either win or you lose, and that’s all there is to it,” Collins added. [H/T The Washington Post]
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