Danielle Collins hasn’t really found her mojo and momentum ever since finishing as finalist in 2022 Australian Open. She has had an inconsistent run across the tournaments and failed to dig deep in them. As a result, she fell down the pecking order in the WTA rankings chart. Owing to her on-court struggles, Collins announced that the 2024 season would be the last year of her tennis career. Amid her retirement talk, the American star received a heartwarming note from a fellow player.

While Collins has had a fierce rivalry with her opponents on the court, she is friendly off the court. As a result, she is good friends with many of her fellow players. Chinese tennis star, Shuai Zhang, is one such player, who had a message for Collins.

What did Zhang say about Danielle Collins?

The duo is in Austin where they are plying their trade at the ATX Open. During the tournament, they were pictured together in the gym. Further, in an interview at the tournament, Zhang opened up about her good friend, Collins.

She said, “I haven’t seen the goddess (Danielle Collins) for half a year. I like your playing style, your domineering on the court, and your sweetness and kindness in life.”

Talking about their head-to-head battles, Zhang and Collins faced each other twice on the WTA Tour. On both occasions, the American star got the better of Zhang. Nonetheless, they developed a good bond between them in the process of playing against each other.

Meanwhile, Collins’ retirement came as a shock to the tennis world. She is just 30 and has some important years ahead of her. However, with her on-court struggles, Collins felt that the time had come to hang up her boots. Recently, she also spoke about her priorities after retirement.

Collins’ post-retirement plans

Earlier this year, the American star appeared in an interview. During the conversation, she opened up about her life after retirement.

Collins mentioned, “You know, I’m not sure. I’m not sure if I’ll kind of continue working in tennis. You know, I think I definitely want to start a family. That’s the main priority. And have other interests outside of the tennis court and kind of need to have the time and the space to be able to focus on, you know, what sparks my interest.”

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However, before that, Collins will look to have one final laugh on the tennis court. Can she win a title before her retirement? Let us know your views in the comments below.