Danielle Collins recently posted an emotional message on social media detailing her satisfaction with representing her country at the upcoming Olympic Games.
The 2024 Paris Olympics will commence in late July, with the tennis tournament guaranteed to crown a new gold medalist. Collins will be among the 64 women in the singles draw and one of four Americans vying to win the lot.
The 30-year-old has never played at the Olympics before, and this will be her first taste in what will be her last season on the professional scene. In a post on Instagram, Collins shared a photo of herself with a clenched fist, symbolizing her message that she fulfilled one of her career goals.
"This pumped about finally getting a break. After 6 months of playing a tournament almost every week, I can finally take some time to relax and recover."
"In the beginning of the season it was a goal of mine to qualify for the Olympics. It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to make it happen. I am very proud of my success over the last six months."
Collins is enjoying the best season of her career in 2024, winning two titles, including her first at the WTA 1000 level at the Miami Open in late March. After reaching her third final of the season in Strasbourg, she re-entered the world's Top 10.
She has won 36 matches with half of the season gone, but Collins has caught herself fielding retirement questions every time she faces tennis reporters.
The Florida native believes she's earned the right to do whatever she wants with her life. She's grown frustrated that she has to provide reasons behind her shock retirement, and it's been emotionally draining.
"With all of the attention around my retirement at the end of the year, the last couple weeks have been really challenging for me. I have found myself playing some of my best tennis but I’ve also found myself really dreading going into work and crying daily."
"The conversations with media around explaining my health challenges, being asked over and over again to justify my success, and constantly being questioned about retiring and wanting to start a family have been really draining."
Collins lost in the second round of Roland Garros to Olga Danilovic and has decided to take a well-deserved rest before she embarks on the grass-court season in the middle of June.