Danielle Collins reveals ‘reasons behind retirement’ after reaching Miami Open semi-final
Danielle Collins has reached the Miami Open semi-finals for the second time in her career, with the American admitting that she has recently felt pressure to ‘justify’ her decision to retire this year.
Collins beat 23rd seed Caroline Garcia, 6-3 6-2, to progress to her second WTA 1000 semi-final after achieving the same feat at the Miami Open back in 2018.
The former Australian Open finalist revealed back in January that this would be her final year on tour, but was asked if she has questioned this decision after recent successes.
This prompted Collins to speak about how she feels treated differently than a player on the ATP Tour would be, “You know, I find it so interesting, because I kind of felt like when I was announcing my retirement, everyone has been so, like, congratulating me and so excited for me, but then on the other hand, I feel like I have 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.”
Before the 30-year-old could continue, the reporter claimed that they did not view it as a ‘gender thing’ and Collins then revealed the main reason for her retirement.
“No, but I think it’s really interesting how in a lot of different situations I have had to kind of justify the reasons behind retirement,” explained Collins. “I’m living with a chronic inflammatory disease that affects your ability to get pregnant, and so that’s a deeply personal situation. I’ve kind of explained that from time to time.
The world No.53 added, “Yeah, I think it’s a good question, but I think at the end of the day, my choice, like, this is my personal choice. This is so much more to do 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 at the end of the day this is a really big life decision, and yeah, I think that that should be pretty understandable.”
Danielle Collins on people questioning her retirement decision. ????#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/PKfrEhp8GD
— TENNIS (@Tennis) March 28, 2024
Collins will look to reach her first WTA 1000 final later today in Miami, when she takes on 14th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Inside the baseline…
It is a tricky topic to discuss really, because while the reporter asked a completely reasonable question, it is clearly a very personal topic for Danielle Collins and her frustration is understandable. Since announcing she would be retiring this year, Collins appears to be playing with more freedom and has been seen an upturn in results since. Although she is the only unseeded player remaining in the draw, Collins is perhaps the most dangerous with almost nothing to lose.
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