Miami (USA) – Semifinalist of the WTA 1000 in Miami, Danielle Collins announced in January that this will be her last season on the circuit. And because she is playing well, the 30-year-old American and former number 7 in the world, faces many questions about a possible change of plans, especially after the latest results. However, Collins reiterates the decision, based on two points, her history of health problems and her desire to become a mother.
Two years ago, Collins needed treatment for endometriosis, an inflammatory reaction that occurs when some cells of the endometrium, the inner layer of the uterus, lodge outside the uterine cavity. Among the symptoms are acute cramps, which prevented her from having a normal training routine, in addition to making it difficult to get pregnant. The diagnosis was announced months after the North American was a finalist at the 2022 Australian Open.
The player has also been living with rheumatoid arthritis since 2019, a chronic disease that causes pain and swelling in the body’s joints. The problem is called autoimmune, because it attacks antibodies and harms the immune system, causing the professional athlete to experience a loss of physical performance.
“When I was announcing my retirement, everyone was congratulating me and seemed so excited for me, but on the other hand, I feel like I had to justify my decision a lot. I feel like if I were a man, I probably wouldn’t have to justify myself so much,” Collins said at Wednesday’s press conference after the victory over French Caroline Garcia in the quarterfinals by 6/3 and 6/2.
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“It’s interesting how in many different situations I had to justify the reasons behind retirement. I’m living with a chronic inflammatory disease that affects my ability to get pregnant, and this is a deeply personal situation. I have already explained this from time to time”, comments the North American, who faces Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova16th in the ranking, in the semifinals this Thursday at 9:30 pm (Brasília time).
“Yes, I think it’s a good question, but at the end of the day it’s a personal choice. There are a lot more things to do than just tennis and thinking about my career. I’m enjoying my career and having a lot of fun. I love coming here and competing. But this is a very big life decision. I think this should be quite understandable”, added the current 53rd in the ranking, who has two titles on the circuit and is looking for her first WTA 1000 final.
Asked about this return to the high level of tennis, presented at the beginning of the season, the former top 10 player spoke about small changes she made in her playing style and also about the importance of having more confidence on the court. “I think a lot of sports psychology books talk about being ‘in the zone’, I think it can be like that sometimes. This is a good thing. In other moments when I played well and had good results in tournaments, it was like this. Other times, it’s like going to the golf course and having a bad day.”
“But now I have very good ball time. I think I also made some physical adjustments that helped me control my shots more and land them with more accuracy and precision. I’ve been working on this for some time. Sometimes it’s difficult to make these types of changes. These are small adaptations. But that helped me become a little more consistent in those areas and bring that to the court a little more.”
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Collins keeps writing against Garcia and returns to semi
