Collins maintains mystery after semi in Miami: ‘I won’t reveal my secrets’

Danielle Collins, number 53 in the world, reached, this Wednesday, her second WTA 1000 semifinal in her career, both in Miami. She calmly passed 6/3 6/2 against the French Caroline Garcia.

The tennis player is in her last season and even at the end of her career she doesn’t want to reveal her secrets: “Many sports psychology books that deal with high-level competitions tend to deal with the concept of ‘being in the zone’, which is basically having the feeling of hit a beach ball, I understand it’s a similar feeling. It’s positive, but I’ve had other moments where I played really well and went far in tournaments. It’s like going out to play golf one day: you can have a bad day and miss every shot. At the moment I’m timing the ball very well, I’ve made some physical adjustments that have helped me control my shots more and gain precision. Sometimes it’s difficult to make these changes, they’re small details, but they’re helping me to be more consistent and more solid on the court.”

“I don’t want to reveal my secrets, I’ve been working on them for a long time throughout my career, but the main thing has always been to have more body control. In our sport, with so much rotation, there is a tendency to spin a lot, to use a lot of force, but I’m still adjusting. I think I’ve improved a lot in my core strength, it helps me stay still a little more. I have worked with several coaches over the years, even at the most basic levels, there are some simple aspects but there is a risk of forgetting them. Even at these levels, I hear a lot of coaches telling their players to keep their bodies in check, to stay still.”

“I think about it in very different ways, but I also don’t think about it too much. Being a professional athlete consumes you day by day, preparing each routine, maintaining your strength, I don’t have time to think about anything. I’m retiring at the end of the year, that’s not going to change, although there may not be as much pressure now, I only have a few more tournaments left. I don’t have time to sit and reflect, or deepen my thoughts, I’m too consumed by everything that involves this sport. Right now I feel relaxed, I play golf more, I run more, I do Pilates… I don’t know, I do different things.”

She was asked why she retired despite playing well: “It’s interesting how many times I had to justify my decision to retire, I think if I were a man I wouldn’t have so many doubts around me. For many years I have lived with a chronic inflammatory disease that it affects me when I get pregnant, so it directly affects me personally, as I’ve explained several times. In the end it’s my choice, this goes beyond my tennis career. I’m enjoying the journey, I’m still enjoying it on the court, I love coming here and competing , but at the end of the day it’s a decision as big as life. I think it would have to be quite understandable.”