‘I Had Tears in My Eyes’ – Emotions Overwhelm Danielle Collins Upon Concluding 7-Year Wimbledon Journey With a Touching Note

Danielle Collins is all set for her last dance at Wimbledon! Despite being overwhelmed by the charisma of the slam, Collins hardly had a significant run at the tour. In her final season, the tennis fraternity awaits to see her magic at the grass major one last time. Nostalgic during her final appearance, Collins takes a tour down memory lane of her debut visit to Wimbledon and why she was “so overwhelmed seeing this place for the first time.”

Danielle Collins is all set to face Denmark’s Clara Tauson in the first round on Court 3. In an interview with the Telegraph, Collins turned back time to 2017 when she appeared at the SW19 for the first time, unable to qualify for the main draw. 

“I remember the coach I was travelling with said, ‘Who knows, this may be the only time we’re ever here.’ I was so overwhelmed seeing this place for the first time, I had tears in my eyes as I was walking around.” She was set on returning with a better form, “I said ‘you know what, I’m not coming back here unless I’m making the main draw’. The next year I came back and I qualified. I haven’t had to go through qualifying again. I always get emotional when I come to Wimbledon.”

She lost against Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova in the qualifiers at the Court 8 by 5-7, 3-6. In 2018, it qualified for the main draw but was lost to Elise Martens by 3-6, 2-6. 2019 saw better results as Collins made it to the third round against Petra Martic. While she lost 4-6, 6-3, 4-6, her improvement showed promise. In 2023, one victory was attained, followed by a second-round defeat to Belinda Bencic in three sets 3-6, 6-4, 7-6.

That is why her last attempt this year becomes more essential as she hopes to move past round 3. The draws might help Collins as she is set to face off against Tauson, whom she met on the court twice before. The American star has defeated Tauson every time they have met, with the most recent clash being in the third round of the 2022 Australian Open.

This brings more chances for Collins to show her last dance at Wimbledon with her sheer brilliance, which she has already shown off since the Miami Open 2024. While Collins is feeling sad about bidding adieu to her favorite major destination, she also revealed how her pre-planned retirement encourages her to explore fields other than tennis.

Danielle Collins revealed she would “like to accomplish in my life outside of tennis” 

The American WTA star announced her retirement during this season’s Australian Open after battling long with endometriosis and rheumatoid arthritis, which gave her trouble continuing matches. Collins’ performance has seen a sharp rise as she won her first Masters at the Miami Open and second title on clay in Charleston. Despite the sudden improvement, Collins is set on her decision.

“I feel like I’ve had a pretty good career. There has certainly been ups and downs to it, and I think the travel and some of the things away from the court with scheduling and all of that, this is a really tough sport. 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,”

While there is sadness following her retirement after the season, the whole tennis fraternity excitingly awaits her last Wimbledon performance with the hope that she achieves a personal best this time.