"Got to be able to hurt people": Danielle Collins' rise from NCAA to taking pros by storm "doesn't surprise" Serena Williams' ex-coach

Danielle Collins’ recent surge may have surprised many in the tennis world, but it comes as no shock to Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rick Macci.

Collins has taken the tennis world by storm this season, doubling her title count to four. In March, she won her biggest trophy so far – the WTA 1000 Miami Open. She followed it by clinching the Charleston Open title. The American is on a 13-match winning streak and is the most successful US player in 2024.

Danielle Collins, who's set to retire this season - a decision she made known in January, is also the fourth-best WTA player 2024, trailing Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka, in the live race.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Serena Williams’ ex-coach Macci touched on the 30-year-old’s career graph:

"I’ve always love Danielle Collins’ game. I’ve seen her play in the juniors," he told Sportskeeda.

It's worth mentioning that while several tennis players turn pro as teenagers, Collins opted for a different path. The American played collegiate tennis at the University of Virginia, winning the NCAA singles title twice (2014, 2016).

Rick Macci opined that Collins’ college journey made her more mature, but it was eventually her innate firepower that made her a successful tennis player.

"Remember whether you go to college or straight to the pros, you’ve got to have weapons, you’ve got to have mental strength," he said.

"By her going to college that made her mature; she got a lot of experience; got away from home; she won the NCAA. But she's always had a lot of firepower," Macci added.

Danielle Collins is known for her aggressive game style as well as her intense persona on the court.

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who was crushed by the 2022 Australian Open runner-up in the semifinals that year, said that Collins’ shots were “the fastest she’s ever played in a match.”

Highlighting the American’s strengths, Rickk Macci said:

"She's always had weapons and that's the game. You’ve got to be able to hurt people.

"Now, maybe mentally when she's not there, she hurt herself. But with that firepower that she has off the ground, and she’s a great competitor – it didn’t surprise me at all about what she has done," he said.

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"Danielle Collins is having one of the best years of her life" - Serena Williams' ex-coach Rick Macci

Danielle Collins pictured at the 2024 Miami Open

Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rick Macci was also impressed by Danielle Collins peaking during her farewell season.

"And it’s interesting. She said she was going to retire and now she’s having one of the best years of her life," he told Sportskeeda.

He opined that the former World No. 7’s “relaxed” approach to her final year was working in her favor.

"Remember she's injury-free, and she's playing with house money and she's relaxed."

"So, a lot of those groundstrokes, she'd maybe miss maybe the fifth or sixth ball, they're now going in and she's not beating people, she's kind of playing right through people," Macci added.

Following her wins in Miami and Charleston, Danielle Collins is next expected to compete at the 2024 Madrid Open (April 23- May 5), where the World No. 15 will look to extend her winning streak.