"Hope everyone can respect that": Danielle Collins stays firm on retirement plans despite Miami Open win, opens up on 'emotional and personal' reasons

Danielle Collins has no intention of reconsidering her plans to retire in 2024, despite her remarkable triumph at the Miami Open.

Collins won her maiden WTA 1000 title in impressive fashion, beating last year's runner-up Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 in the final in two hours and two minutes. With her triumph on home soil, she became the first American woman to triumph at the tournament since Sloane Stephens in 2018.

Adding to the significance of her triumph, the 30-year-old achieved the milestone victory in her retirement year. She had announced her decision to retire after her exit from the Australian Open in January, citing her desire to prioritize having children.

Collins has since been subjected to frequent questions about reconsidering retirement, given her strong season. Expressing frustration with the persistent inquiries, she recently asserted that she wouldn't have to justify her decision had she been a man.

She also highlighted her struggles with a chronic inflammatory disease, which impacted her ability to get pregnant.

"I feel like I have had to justify my decision a lot. I feel like if I was a guy, I probably wouldn't have to justify it that much," she said in a recent press conference.

"I'm living with a chronic inflammatory disease that affects your ability to get pregnant, and so that's, like, a deeply, like, personal situation. I've kind of explained that from time to time," she added.

Danielle Collins reaffirmed that she has no intention of changing her retirement plans even after her triumph at the Miami Open but acknowledges the well-meaning intention behind such questions.

"No, I'm not (smiling). Thank you, though. 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," Danielle Collins said in her post-match press conference.

Collins also opened up about her health challenges and expressed her hope that everyone would respect her "emotional" and "personal" reasons to end her professional career.

"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. Yeah," she added.

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Danielle Collins on her Miami Open triumph: "This has been such a journey for me; 30 years old, this was the finals of my first 1000"

Danielle Collins poses with the Miami Open trophy

During the same press conference, Danielle Collins expressed her delight at her sustained excellence during the Miami Open. She also reflected on playing her first WTA 1000 final at the age of 30, pointing out that her journey differs greatly from the usual success stories.

"Yeah, I mean, what a dream come true to have played at the level that I have played consistently over the last two weeks," Danielle Collins said.

"This has been such a journey for me. 30 years old, you know, this was the finals of my first 1000, and it's been a different journey than I think a lot of the stories that we're familiar with," she added.

The American also expressed her gratitude for the home fans' overwhelming support, likening the unforgettable experience to playing in front of a crowd of her best friends.

"Yeah, it's just been amazing to go out today and to have felt the energy that I felt from the fans and literally feel like I'm playing in front of thousands of my best friends. That was just surreal. I will never forget this day because of that," Danielle Collins said.