Danielle Collins might have won the biggest trophy of her career at the 2024 Miami Open, but she'll still retire at the end of the year.
The American stunned everyone by admitting earlier this year that her career would end after this year. She's only 30, so she's not very old for a professional athlete, but there are other things in life she wants to do that don't fit well with tennis.
She's also dealt with a chronic illness that makes it pretty hard to maintain a tennis career, and all of that contributed to her decision to hang it up. Despite being months away from retirement, Collins is a tremendous tennis player
Quality was never in question with her, and she proved it at the recently concluded Miami Open. She played an amazing event, making her way to the final and besting Elena Rybakina in two sets.
It's a pretty significant moment for Collins, who doesn't have many trophies to her name, and this one is by far the biggest. Even so, this didn't change her mind about retirement.
She still plans to proceed with it, even though she appreciates many people wondering if she'll continue because she understands it comes from a good place.
"No, I'm not (smiling). Thank you, though. 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."
Perhaps this is just the start for Collins in 2024. Maybe she can add a couple of more trophies before she retires.