Be it Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, or Danielle Collins, they all have one thing in common: supportive family! We are very well aware of how Djokovic’s father took loans to fund his tennis coaching. Serena Williams’ father took up the role of being a coach to his daughters himself. When it comes to Collins’ father, he was no different in his passion for making his daughter one of the best players in the world. But there was one difference: his work, which extended into his old age.

Luxury is not granted to everyone from the foundational stage. Many tennis players have developed from humble roots and strong family support. And Collins features in that list. On the August 23, Advantage Connors podcast, the host, Jimmy Connors, asked Collins about her career at 15 years of age. Many stars, Coco Gauff and Madison Keys, among others, started young. But Collins waited. Why? Due to her humble roots.

She said, “I did not come from financial opportunity.” The World No. 11 learned the art of playing tennis from the public courts with the older generation as her opponents. “I grew up in a family where my mom was a preschool teacher, my dad was a landscaper.” – she further remarked. Moreover, unlike many people around the world who retire in their 60s or 70s, Collins’s father worked through those years, and only kept his tools aside as he neared his 90s.

“My dad is 86 years old now, and he just retired this year from landscaping,” – she further added. Things are not easy for the landscapers in Florida, due to the brutal heat. Collins remarked, “That’s an incredibly tough job when you’re living in Florida, in the Florida heat.”

Pursuing her tennis career was not easy for Collins. Though she became a strong player early on, the professional tennis circuit came much later. She “never really played ITFs just because of, like, the traveling budget for that is so crazy.” What is there in the traveling budget of a player at the age of 15-16 years? “The cost of travel, the cost to have a coach with you, especially at that age, you shouldn’t be traveling alone. I did a lot of traveling alone at that age,” said Collins.

Collins entered the circuit a bit later than the others. But she had her priorities set at an early age, as tennis wouldn’t come at the cost of education for the American tennis star

Why college education was important for Danielle Collins?

Professional tennis had to take a back seat in Collins’ life due to various reasons. College education was at the top of the list for her. Why? “No one in my immediate family had been to college, and that was really important to me,” she said. Collins was the first one to step into college. Certainly, the player valued the college degree that was elusive to her family. In addition, she also realized the importance of education.

The 30-year-old further detailed her choice for college education, “I think education opens up so many doors, and when things maybe don’t work out for you in one area, you can kind of lean into a different field and go in different directions when you have a good education.” Moreover, it also opens the door for various tournaments and certainly sponsors.

Danimal had to carve out her path at the age of 15 when she began high school and she did not have the financial opportunity at that time to start a professional tennis career, by her own admission. However, she had the support of her family, which helped her throughout her journey.