AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 11, 2025

Danielle Collins

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Danielle, welcome back to Melbourne. Am I allowed to say it feels like a bit of a bonus? Great to have you here. How's your preparation been?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, it's been good. Wasn't doing so well at United Cup. Obviously the team was doing well, but I was struggling with a respiratory thing that was going on. That set me back a few days.

But I was really happy to get some of my stamina back before Adelaide and get a match in. So that was really nice.

Last couple of days have gone well, getting adjusted to the heat and the conditions. Yeah, just getting my feet under the ball and getting more reps in.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Nice to see you here. Didn't expect to see you here. Can you talk through your thinking late last year about deciding to extend your career and what your mindset is, about what's left ahead of you and how you're approaching it.

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, I feel like at this point it's kind of a bonus while I figure out next steps with everything with wanting to start a family and figuring out that process, which I think will seemingly be more complicated, as I have learned in the last couple of months, unfortunately.

So yeah, I mean, it's been nice being back on tour and having, you know, the time to be around my friends on tour and having that support system.

I think all of the players are aware, you know, of more of the details of kind of what's going on with my health. But yeah, just having that support system has been really important.

I mean, obviously I was looking forward to trying to start a family right away and to, you know, start a new chapter. But sometimes these things get thrown at you and different curve balls, and now it's just kind of like, well, I can enjoy some more time on tour, which is a bonus, but then obviously it's been tough emotionally just trying to, yeah, work through that side of things.

Q. Just to pick up on that last part, you have lots of different interests and lots of different ways of spending time. So when you got the curveball of not being able to start a family immediately, there is other things you could have done, obviously, and so I guess why this?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, I think it's just the amount of time that it's going to probably take for me to be able to start a family. That process obviously with my endometriosis, there is some additional challenges that come along with being able to have kids. So that's part of it.

We could talk more in depth about it, but I think I'd ideally like to try to wait to have that conversation just because I am here these next two weeks hopefully trying to do my best and to compete hard. And, you know, it's not easy. I have had days consistently where I cry every day and freaking out. It's not, you know, a fun thing.

So sure, I could try to get some of the stuff started, but the physical challenges that come along with that for me are a little bit more complex. And, you know, it's going to take a little bit more time for my medical team to figure out what the best course of action will be.

Q. And more time on tour...

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, more time on tour.

Q. It was just something, unfinished business, love of the game?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, I think more love of the game, to be honest. I'm sure you can imagine, but, like, when you're kind of getting ready to go through a big lifestyle change of hanging up your career and your racquets, right, and you're jumping into a new lifestyle, and then you have all of this, like, medical stuff thrown at you that you didn't necessarily predict would happen, you know, it's a hard thing.

So I couldn't imagine right now, honestly, laying the racquets down, because I have, like, a whole new set of challenges that I think is taking me a little bit more time to kind of figure out and figuring out those next steps of what exactly I want to do.

Obviously there is different ways you can start a family, but it's just kind of, yes, figuring out how all that's going to work.

It's been a little bit challenging for me, so...

Q. You mentioned a couple weeks maybe. Are you thinking of your career in those short terms, taking it week by week? Is there a long-range plan as much as possible at this point?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, I think taking it week by week and just seeing, like I said, there is some issues with my endometriosis, as well. As long as I can kind of keep that under control, I'd like to try to keep playing here for the next couple of weeks and months. But that might not be guaranteed.

So trying a few different things right now to see what happens. But yeah, that's also something that's been causing some issues for me, as well, and that's part of the issue with the stuff I have talked about around infertility.

Q. Are you able to see this as bonus time in terms of pressure or putting yourself through the competition part of the sport? I know you have gotten a lot for yourself on court in the past, but are you being gentle about that, or it's not in your nature to pull off the gas when it comes to this?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, I think I'm being more gentle with myself, especially during this time, just because there are challenges I'm facing right now personally with my health side of things. Obviously that's been really challenging for me mentally and emotionally.

So just trying to, you know, look at this in a way of, like, I get to be on tour for a little bit longer and I get to hang out with my friends and get to have that support and get to travel and get to see places of the world that I still haven't seen.

I'm hoping to maybe do something special at the end of this trip like I usually do in Australia. I always try to pick a place that I haven't been and go and see that.

Just kind of keep my mind off of the other stuff as much as I can. Obviously it's there. Obviously I'm thinking about it and working with my doctors and trying to figure it all out. But as much as I can, try to enjoy it.

Yeah, so I think in some ways, like you said, looking at taking a little bit different approach to this year and these next couple of tournaments and just enjoying it as much as I can.

It's a nice distraction right now, to say the least (smiling).

Q. Who was on the court with you yesterday?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, working with Coach Adham. I have been working with him a little bit during the offseason. Yeah, it's been going pretty well.

Q. What's his name?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Adham. He's from Egypt. Yeah, it's been great working with him. Just a little changeup. He's been great. We play lots of sets together. He helps me on court. Yeah, new partnership.

Yeah, he's assistant coach at Tufts. Yeah, he played at Tulsa. Quite a great college player.

Yeah, so it's been good. Yeah, we have had a good little partnership so far. We just started here in United Cup was our first event together. That week I wasn't doing so well physically. Whatever this respiratory thing I had, it was awful, and he was so helpful during that time.

I think that's where, with the coaching, like, that's one of the most important things. Aside from having somebody that's knowledgeable and has their expertise on court, you want to be around someone that's a great person and can help you during those challenging times. Like when you need somebody to go do a 9:00, 10:00 p.m. grocery store run and you need bone broth or garlic and lemon, it's, like, yeah, it's nice to have this person on the road that can be so helpful and caring when things aren't going well for you (smiling).

Q. Wondering, your intention to stop last year, was there any part of it that was tough to come back just from that, saying I sort of said one thing, now I'm changing? I don't know if it's causing hesitation for you. I don't know if that was something that, not that it would stop you, but something sort of awkward to be back beyond what you said it would be?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, like worrying about what other people think?

Q. I'm just wondering just in terms of saying this was going to be your last year and then changing that.

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, well, I think with anything in life, things change. Obviously things with my health kind of changed, which was surprising, but then at the same time I guess not surprising in a way, because of what I have been dealing with for the last couple of years with my endometriosis, and how that affects fertility for many people.

So no, not really. I think you guys all know me pretty well at this point. I really don't care what people think. I know I said I was retiring, but unfortunately life threw me some curve balls.

Here I am just trying to enjoy it a little bit longer. I think it's important to note, too, I have been doing this for seven, eight years. My closest friendships are a lot of the women on tour, a lot of the people on tour.

You think about that lifestyle change when you're going through something that's so challenging emotionally, and then to not have that support system, that's... Yeah, it's a lot.

So I'm glad that I can keep doing this for a little bit longer and have that.

Q. The handshake has been a talking point. I just wanted to know about in general. For you, being sincere is really important. Is it a weird thing that tennis has this thing like where you're trying to kill each other for a couple of hours, and now you go pretend you like each other. What do you think of the tennis handshake?

DANIELLE COLLINS: I think we all compete hard against each other, and we give it our all. But I think for the most part, I think most of us are pretty cool with shaking hands with each other at the end of the day.

Look, I'm a human. I have, like, situations I like, situations I don't like, things that happen, right? All these memes keep coming up on my Instagram of my face, you know, my face says it all, but, like, you know...

And so I'm just somebody that's pretty genuine what I'm thinking and feeling. I also, you know, laugh at myself too, because I know that I can be this way, and I know that it's not always the greatest. But I try to, like, poke fun at myself and not take myself too seriously.

I honestly encourage other people to do the same, because at the end of the day, if we can't laugh at ourselves about things and, like, take things lightheartedly, what the heck are we doing? I feel like so much gets taken out of context.

Fans think that they know players personally, they think they know all the ins and outs of what takes place on a daily basis, but the reality is they really don't.

Yeah, I just think at the end of the day, I am trying to just make fun of myself now, because I just... Yeah.

Q. Obviously what you're going through, it must involve medication, as well. Given what happened with Iga lately, are you also now more cautious of what you consume? She mentioned yesterday that she's keeping batch numbers. Are you also more cautious when it comes to medication? Because if it's contaminated in the production, nobody really know, can do anything about it.

DANIELLE COLLINS: I mean, all my vitamins and supplements are third-party tested, and they always have been. I only take supplements that, yeah, have, like, that NSF for sports certification or informed choice. Yeah, that's just been a practice I have done throughout my entire career.

I'm not sure about the connection you just made between medication for endometriosis and what you're...

Q. No, she was taking something that was contaminated in the production.

DANIELLE COLLINS: I see.

Q. You never know what medicine comes through when you consume something and you don't have control over it. Are you being extra cautious right now?

DANIELLE COLLINS: I'm being as cautious as I have always been, if that... Yeah. I get what you're saying. Yeah, I mean, I'm not somebody that's heavily medicated, to be honest. I take daily vitamins and whatever my doctor advises me, but I'm not too worried about my supplements. I feel like if you can get your supplements from trustworthy brands and get them approved, there shouldn't really be an issue.

That's just my take on it. Honestly I empathize for people that have struggled with issues with their supplements and contamination. I'm sure that's a real thing. But honestly it just hasn't been a big concern to me, because I feel like I have a lot of trust in my daily vitamins and the stuff that I'm, yeah, using.

I feel like with all the third-party testing that they are doing now and making sure that a lot of those factories where they're producing these products, they're pretty stringent on what can be made in those facilities.

So it hasn't been something that I have been fearful of.