MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAú

March 26, 2022

Danielle Collins

Press Conference

D. COLLINS/V. Zvonareva

6-1, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. You mentioned to us the other day that you were just coming back from your illness. How did you feel out there today?

DANIELLE COLLINS: You know, I think it felt the way it looked, definitely. It was a little bit challenging. One of the biggest things with my viral illness has been dealing with some nagging neck pain. That's been one of the biggest challenges I have had to work through, especially as I have been coming back and started hitting again. That was flaring up a lot, and still hasn't completely gone away obviously.

Yeah, you know, I played a really good first set, felt great, and then it started to kind of go downhill in the second set, but I was luckily able to work through it mentally.

I think the awesome WTA physio that came out was able to help and support and, you know, really make a little bit of a difference there to help me get through the match. So that was great.

Yeah, I hope that I can come back on Monday and do a little bit better and definitely feel better.

Q. Especially in the first set, like you mentioned, you played really well. She was serving at like over 80%. What was working really well for your return there?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, I think mixing my standing positions on the return and attacking and putting pressure on her, even though she was making a high first-serve percentage, that can be challenging for some players to do, you know, if someone keeps making their first serve.

But I was relentless. You know, I just kind of stuck to my tactics and playing my game, playing aggressive tennis. So I think that's probably what helped the most, because like you said, she served really well today.

Q. You mentioned nagging neck pain, first match back. What does recovery look like for the rest of the day?

DANIELLE COLLINS: I am going to get a massage at 6:00 and going to pop into the WTA physio room and get some treatment. They have been really helpful. Obviously when she came on court, I think that made a big difference. Hopefully we can do that, get to see the doctor, and check it to make sure there is nothing more serious.

Yeah, that's probably it. I'm looking forward to, in a couple weeks, having a full-time physical therapist on the road with me. I think that's going to make a really big difference in my career. I'm counting down the days (smiling).