US Open star who is retiring aged 30 opens door to tennis return
Danielle Collins is playing her final Grand Slam tournament.
Danielle Collins is preparing to play a Grand Slam tournament for the final time. And it will be her home Slam, the US Open.
At the beginning of the year, the world No. 11 announced that it would be her last on tour before she retired. Since then, she has enjoyed a career-best season.
Collins has been honest about the health issues that influenced her decision to retire at the age of 30. But she has now opened the door to a potential return to tennis later down the line.
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The US Open won’t be the final tournament of Collins’ career - the four-time title winner previously explained that she had some goals she wanted to achieve before the end of the year. But it’s her last chance at Grand Slam glory, having been an Australian Open runner-up in 2022.
With her retirement now a few months away, the 30-year-old has been reflecting ahead of her last US Open appearance. And she admitted that she could be tempted back into the sport in a coaching role.
“The biggest thing for me now is settling into life at home and having some time to just relax and also build my family,” she told the Guardian. “But I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to helping athletes that are aspiring to work their way up.”
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However, Collins might not be seen back on the professional tour with a top player, instead being keen to work with up-and-comers. The American continued: “Honestly, if I could work with any level of a tennis player, my favorite people to get out on court with are beginners. I am a very patient person, surprisingly.
“You wouldn’t know that watching me play professional tennis, but I’m actually great at coaching that beginner stage. It’ll be interesting to see what I end up doing, but in the short term, it’ll just be enjoying tennis for what it is versus as a profession.”
For now, Collins is focused on the US Open and ending her career with a bang. There have been plenty of questions about her decision to retire, especially given her great results this year - she won her biggest title at the Miami Open in March and followed it up by winning Charleston a few days later.
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But nothing will change her mind. Collins has two chronic health conditions, rheumatoid arthritis and endometriosis, which have heavily influenced her decision. And she wants to hang up her racket so she can start a family with her boyfriend Bryan Kipp while she still can.
After her Miami Open win, she explained: “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.”
