“I Don’t Feel It Affects What I Said About US Open” – Danielle Collins Defends Herself After Dismissal From Tennis Tournament

Tennis is slowly creeping back in. As the season is soon set to resume, players are trying to get some important match practice. But these tough times have made tournaments take strict decisions and protocols. Recently, a player was suspended from the event due to a breach of quarantine protocols.

World Team Tennis (WTT) is going on right now. It features top players like Sofia Kenin, Venus Williams, and more. A rising American star, Danielle Collins also played but got suspended for leaving her hotel.

Due to the coronavirus, players had to stay in the hotel in a bubble to limit any risk. Danielle left the hotel which led to the WTT CEO Carlos Silva dismissing her.

“We have dismissed Danielle Collins for the remainder of the 2020 World TeamTennis season after breaking our COVID-19 protocols and leaving the Greenbrier Resort and the state of West Virginia. The protocols have been put in place and communicated numerous times to protect the health and safety of our players, coaches, and staff which are of utmost importance to the WTT.” Silva said.

“World Team Tennis staff were aware of that and didn’t say I couldn’t do that” – Danielle Collins

In a telephonic interview with Christopher Clarey, Collins defended her actions. She says that she was never informed of the rule regarding leaving the hotel. It wasn’t mentioned in the waiver she signed.

“I don’t feel I intentionally broke a rule so I don’t feel it affects what I said about the U.S. Open. There was a waiver that I signed that was specific to the safety protocols and practices that were to take place during World Team Tennis, and it didn’t have any mention of not leaving the hotel.” Collins said.

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Collins got confused with the other guests and didn’t know what to do. But she says she informed the WTT staff about her leaving and they didn’t object.

“I don’t really know how that works if I wasn’t able to leave and there’s hundreds of guests staying at the hotel who weren’t with the group. W.T.T. staff were aware of that and didn’t say I couldn’t do that,” she said.

The pandemic has made some changes to everybody’s life. And so to conduct tournaments now, the authorities are applying strict rules and regulations. The US Open also begins next month and all hopes will be to avoid any safety mishaps.