Collins: It’s Spring Break After Winning Back-To-Back Titles

Danielle Collins
Danielle Collins (photo: Charleston Tennis LLC)

CHARLESTON, S.C./WASHINGTON, April 11, 2024 (by Michael Dickens)

When Danielle Collins won the Credit One Charleston Open title in the South Carolina Lowcountry Sunday, she became the first player since Serena Williams in 2013 to achieve back-to-back titles at Miami and Charleston.

It’s not as easy as it sounds since it requires winning consistently both on a hard-court surface and on green clay, too. Yet, Collins made the grade and did it her way. Now, it’s spring vacation for the high-achieving player nicknamed Danimal for her fiery on-court demeanor.

As Collins has strung together a career-best 13-match winning streak, the 30-year-old Floridian who was once ranked as high as World No. 7 has improved her ranking from 53rd to 22nd to No. 15, thanks to her two title performances. Collins, who improved her 2024 win-loss record to 22-7, has relied upon both her powerful ground strokes and relentless enthusiasm. She’s also been versatile and flexible, and her hand-eye coordination has been second to none.

Against No. 4 seed Daria Kasatkina of Russia, ranked 11th at the time of the Charleston title match against Collins, the American dominated the day. In just 77 minutes, Collins prevailed over Kasatkina, 6-2, 6-1, by hitting 37 winners and outpointing her opponent 69-45. Not only has Collins won two consecutive titles, she also has captured 26 of the last 27 sets she’s played in. The only set she lost was the middle set against Ons Jabeur in the second round.

En route to her first Charleston title on green clay – and second clay crown overall after winning Palermo in 2021 – Collins defeated Paula Badosa, No. 2 seed Jabeur, Sloane Stephens, No. 11 seed Elise Mertens, No. 3 seed Maria Sakkari and Kasatkina. Throughout, she said, it’s all about “preparation, recovery, strategizing, making technical adjustments.”

Since announcing her forthcoming retirement from pro tennis effective at the end of the 2024 season, which she made at the Australian Open, Collins has enjoyed a career resurgence that has arguably made her the most dominant player on women’s tennis the past month.

“I think one of my areas of improvement over the course of the last few weeks has been my concentration and focus and really being locked into my process,” Collins expressed at her champion’s news conference. “I mean, I say that a lot – and I think some people probably yawn at it – because it’s like such an athlete thing to say, right? But it’s really true. It is. And I think knowing that I can play week in and week out, this is a good period of time of playing some matches every day, and I think that should give me confidence moving forward.

“You know, these women that I’m playing against, they’re the best in the world, and it’s – sometimes things go your way and then sometimes things don’t go your way, and you have to be open to that when those times do happen.”

After winning her back-to-back titles in Miami and Charleston, the third and fourth of her career, it was back home to St. Petersburg, Fla. for Collins to enjoy some well-deserved time off the WTA Tour. While nine of the Top 10 players will convene next week in Stuttgart, Germany for the European spring red clay opener at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Collins will be home relaxing for a few days, then preparing for the Mutua Madrid Open in Spain, which starts the following week on April 23.

“Yeah, I’m just trying to keep the train going and really be myself out there and not think too much about what’s next, because this coming week is really unique for me,” Collins said Sunday. “I get to have a few days off, and I’m so looking forward to this because I’ve only been at home for like five days since Christmas. … It’s amazing getting to travel the world, to have the experiences that we get to have, but that can be challenging for a lot of people. And I’m a home body! So, I’m really looking forward to getting home and getting some time to spend where I don’t think about tennis, and then, hopefully, when Madrid comes around I am back in Danimal mode. Then, it’s back to reality.

“So, it’s like spring break for me. I feel like a kid at spring break. I’m like, whoo! A few weeks off from school. So, I’m excited.”

Looking back at what she accomplished, winning her first WTA 1000 title in Miami and backing it up by winning an always-tough WTA 500 in Charleston, Collins is super proud of her achievement.

“To be able to physically battle and push myself to a new limit gives me a lot of confidence,” she said. “I’ve been so happy to be, obviously, playing at the level that I’ve been playing, but to be able to back it up two weeks in a row has just been fantastic.”

The last few weeks, as she’s strung together her remarkable winning streak, Collins has been asked whether she’s reconsidering her decision to retire at the end of the season. She is firm with her answer that she’s ready to walk away from pro tennis with no regrets.

“With my set of challenges, it’s a very personal decision,” said Collins, who has been diagnosed with endometriosis, a disease that can cause severe pain in the pelvis, affect menstruation, and make it difficult to get pregnant. “You know, it’s great that I’ve made the decision that is best for me, and it’s best for me personally.

“I’m really happy that I can showcase my best tennis in these last couple of events, because I think that’s the way I want to go out, and I want to go out with my best results. I know everyone has a different way of retiring and ending their career, but for me, I want to try to go out playing my best tennis.”

 

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