What happened with Danielle Collins' final Grand Slam match at US Open 2024? All you need to know about the American's actions and how it resulted in backlash

Danielle Collins' last-ever Grand Slam campaign did not go according to plan as the American star lost in the first round of the US Open. The World No. 11 announced in January that this would be her last season on the tour before announcing her retirement.

All the eyes of the tennis world were on Flushing Meadows in what could have been Collins' last-ever appearance on the tennis court. The 30-year-old was up against a fellow American star Caroline Dolehide and lost the match in three sets.

Seeded 11th, Collins started the match as a favorite and took an early lead in the match winning the first set 6-1. However, Dolehide soon found her best form and won the remaining two sets to win the match 1-6, 7-5, 6-4. Collins was seen leaving the arena in a hurry, ending any potential farewell ceremony plans for the American.

The US Tennis Association appeared to have organized a farewell for Collins but she rushed back to the locker room. The US Open tournament director Stacey Allaster was seen holding a bouquet for Collins, who was in no mood for any celebration. Allaster was later seen following Collins into the locker room to hand over the flowers.

Collins' abrupt exit from the stadium to avoid a farewell ceremony drew in some mixed reactions and backlash from some fans. However, other fans believed that the 30-year-old doing what she believed was right.

Clearing the air around her exit during her post-match press conference, Collins said that she was a private person and did not like to celebrate her accomplishments. The 30-year-old further added that she has got enough attention during her career and wants to enjoy a life without the limelight post her retirement.

“I’m not somebody that likes to celebrate my accomplishments. I’ve struggled with feeling guilt around success. I’m not great about having an all about me moment. I’d prefer to do something like that maybe in private. I feel like I’ve gotten enough attention to last a lifetime," Collins said

While her singles career is over, Collins will be back at the US Open competing in the doubles event alongside Caroline Garcia. The duo will face Anna Sinclair Rogers and Alana Smith in the first round of the women's doubles event on 29th August.

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Danielle Collins' impressive 2024 season

After announcing her retirement in January, Collins had a slow start to the season as she lost in the second round of the Australian Open against Iga Swiatek. Collins reached the quarterfinal at the Doha WTA 1000 and looked back to her best.

She built up on that promising run by winning back-to-back WTA titles in Miami and Charleston in the space of three weeks. This unbeaten run of 14 matches propelled the American back to the top 10 of the WTA rankings.

Collins started the clay-court season in style with a semifinal run in Rome, followed by a run to the final in Strasbourg. However, the American failed to impress at the Roland Garros and lost to Olga Danilovic in the second round.

The American's struggle at the Grand Slam events continued at the Wimbledon where she lost in the fourth round. Collins followed it up with a quarterfinal run at the Paris Olympics 2024 before losing to the World No. 1, Iga Swiatek.

Collins' preparations for the US Open were halted due to an abdominal injury during the Olympics, forcing her to withdraw from the hard-court warmup events in Toronto and Cincinnati.