Melbourne: After her second-round loss to world no. 1 Iga Swiatek at the Australian Open Thursday, American tennis player Danielle Collins announced the 2024 WTA Tour season would be her final year on tour.
“This is the final #AusOpen for Danielle Collins, who confirmed she will stop competing after this year. We wish our 2022 finalist the very best,” Australian Open X post read.
The 2022 finalist came from a set and a breakdown to lead Swiatek by a double-break at 4-1 in the third set before the Pole came roaring back to win 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena Thursday.
“This is going to be my last season, actually, competing. I don’t really know exactly when, but this will be my last season and I’m really looking forward to that,” Collins told reporters after the match. “I feel like I’ve had a pretty good career. There has certainly been ups and downs to it, and I think the travel and some of the things away from the court with scheduling and all of that, this is a really tough sport.
“I have other things that I’d kind of like to accomplish in my life outside of tennis, and would like to be able to have the time to be able to do that. Obviously having kids is a big priority for me,” she added.
On the same court two years ago, Collins hit Swiatek off the court to win 6-4, 6-1 and advance to her first major final.
Collins achieved her inaugural Grand Slam semifinal at Melbourne Park in 2019, securing three victories against Top 20 opponents. Fast forward three years, in the 2022 semifinals, she thwarted Swiatek’s progress, earning a spot in the final where she ultimately faced defeat against Ashleigh Barty in straight sets.
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