"Are you really sure you want to?" - Chris Evert urges Danielle Collins to reconsider retirement in light of Miami Open 2024 triumph

18-time Major winner Chris Evert recently beckoned Danielle Collins to reconsider her plans to hang up her racquet later in 2024, following the latter's title run at the Miami Open.

Collins came into this week's WTA 1000 tournament in Miami as hardly a floater, as she was ranked outside the top 50. The American got past a spirited challenge from compatriot Bernarda Pera in the first round, overcoming a set deficit to win in three and go through to the second round.

From thereon, Danielle Collins caught fire as she defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova, Caroline Garcia, Anastasia Potapova, Sorana Cirstea and Elina Avanesyan without the loss of more than three games in a single set to reach her maiden 1000-level final.

The 30-year-old then played the best match of her campaign, beating fourth seed and last year's runner-up Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 to secure her first-career big title. More importantly, she became the first unseeded player to triumph in Miami since Kim Clijsters in 2005.

Chris Evert, who won the 1986 edition of the tournament, soon took to her X (formerly Twitter) handle to congratulate the American on her accomplishment. The 69-year-old also asked Collins whether she was sure about retiring yet, as she was beginning to look like a real contender for more big titles.

"A big Hug and Congratulations to Danielle Collins in winning the #MiamiOpen. Spectacular play throughout the whole tournament….but…."Are you really sure you want to retire?" Chris Evert wrote on her X (formerly Twitter) handle on Sunday.

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"I'm living with a chronic inflammatory disease that affects your ability to get pregnant" - Danielle Collins gave her primary reason for retirement in Miami this week

Danielle Collins reacts during the 2024 Australian Open

Danielle Collins had announced after her second-round loss to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek at the Australian Open in January that she would retire from pro tennis at some point this season. The American disclosed that she had other goals to achieve outside of her tennis career and that having children was on top of that list.

"This is going to be my last season competing," Collins said during her last press conference in Melbourne. "I don't really know exactly when, but this will be my last season and I'm really looking forward to that. 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 kind of have the time to be able to do that. Obviously having kids is a big priority for me."

She gave more context to the above comments at this week's Miami Open, claiming that her reasons behind walking away from the game resulted from a "deeply personal situation."

"I'm living with a chronic inflammatory disease that affects your ability to get pregnant. That's a deeply personal situation," she said in Miami. "I've explained that from time to time. At the end of the day, this is my personal choice. This is so much more than just tennis and my career. I'm enjoying my career. I'm having a lot of fun."