Danielle Collins’ stunning Miami Open title on brink of retirement is best story in women’s tennis

Danielle Collins got close once before — but the narrative swallowed her up.

On January 29, 2022, the American took the court against Ashleigh Barty as an underdog in the Australian Open final on Rod Laver Arena.

The No. 27 Collins played her way in with wonderful form, dropping only two sets and securing a signature blowout win against 7-seed and future world No. 1 Iga Świątek. Waiting for her was Barty, the current world No. 1 and Wimbledon champion, aiming to be the first Aussie to win her home country’s singles slam since 1978.

Barty closed the door in straight sets. And less than two months later, the 25-year-old retired from the sport as world No. 1, without so much as a Wimbledon title defense, let alone a victory lap in Melbourne. Three slam trophies, one quick goodbye.

Collins, then 28-years-old, was left to pick up the pieces. But for the American coming off a career high, her off the court challenges told more of the story.

In 2019, she revealed a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis, which is a chronic inflammatory condition that causes pain and swelling in the body’s joints. In 2021:

(Collins) underwent emergency surgery for endometriosis – a condition where the tissue that lines the uterus grows outside of it – and had suffered an abdominal injury at the French Open.

(She) has spoken candidly about the excruciating pain she endured, describing it as some of the worst she has experienced.

Collins has credited the surgeon for saving her career.

Three years after the surgery and two years after the Australian Open finals loss, Collins notched the biggest win of her career at the Miami Open on Saturday, defeating 24-year-old former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, 7-5, 6-3.

But in a twist, two months ago, back in Australia, in that exact same stadium, it was Collins who announced her retirement at the end of the 2024 season.

The 30-year-old revealed after the match that this will be her last year on tour, with the American keen to travel less and eager to raise a family.

“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, you know, be able to have the time to be able to do that. Obviously, having kids is a big priority for me,” she told reporters after racing off Rod Laver Arena.

At the time, the statement from a player currently ranked No. 53 didn’t make massive waves. But the American got a new round of “why now?” questions in Florida this week as she continued to stack impressive wins at the WTA 1,000 level tournament. Earlier in the week, she pushed back and suggested a gender double standard.

“You know, I find it so interesting, because I kind of felt like when I was announcing my retirement, everyone has been so, like, congratulating me and so excited for me, but then on the other hand, I feel like I have had to justify my decision a lot,” the former world No. 7 said. “I feel like if I was a guy, I probably wouldn’t have to justify it that much.”

And after winning the whole damn thing, her overall message did not waver.

As tantalizing as it is to see someone in peak-peak form hang it up, it is simultaneously refreshing to see an athlete control their own narrative and maintain such strong conviction in the face of potentially puzzled masses. After all, only Collins herself can know the day-to-day pain level, her big picture goals, and what will ultimately be the most satisfying path forward.

But hell — we haven’t even gotten to the actual tennis yet. That’s the fun part. Collins plays a bruising style, hitting scorching winners that end points before they really even start. She powerfully casts the ball aside with her backhand like she’s fed up her opponent got it over the net even once.

In the Miami quarterfinals, Collins stuffed Caroline Garcia into a tiny trash can.

It was then you could really tell something special was happening. Your Chicago-based author has a newborn at home but was still fantasizing about buying a plane ticket and getting down to south Florida for her last two potential matches.

This reckless choice would’ve been validated. In the semis, she stuffed Ekaterina Alexandrova — fresh off a straight set win against world No. 1 Świątek — into an equally tiny trash can.

She dropped 10 games total in the two matches (five in each). But the final, on paper, was the stiffest test yet. Rybakina is a power player’s power player. She stands a clean 6’0’’, two inches taller than Collins, and can serve and smash with the best of them. Her 128 aces are good for No. 2 overall this season on the women’s tour. She’s won 20 matches this season, equalling 2024 Australian Open champion Coco Gauff.

But she was no match for the little girl who promised her father she’d one day play in this very tournament.

Tennis players exist in a reality with laughably slim margins. It sometimes takes an unruly balance of training, skill, and luck to even have a puncher’s chance at sniffing a high level tournament title. This week, Collins had the supportive crowd, big picture narrative, and, probably most importantly, an unburdened mind. She burst into tears near simultaneously after hitting a winner to close out the match on her fourth championship point.

In sports, we are so often focused on what’s next — Who is our new coach gonna be? ... Who are we gonna draft? ... Who are we playing on the road next year? — but maybe the biggest lesson of Collins’ title and choice is to simply stop and appreciate what is, in this very moment, right now.