Danielle Collins postpones retirement into 2025 season, opens up about fertility struggles in moving post

Danielle Collins confirmed plans to postpone her retirement from tennis and compete in 2025, the world No. 9 announced in a moving social media Thursday night.

“The DANIMAL story has not reached its conclusion,” wrote Collins, who was last on court at the Guadalajara Open Akron presented by Santander in September.

Collins shocked the tennis world when, immediately following a heartbreaking Australian Open loss to world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, the fan favorite revealed her intent to make 2024 her final year on tour, citing a desire to start a family.

The 2022 Australian Open runner-up has been candid about health struggles throughout her career, opening up about battles with endometriosis and rheumatoid arthritis, both of which motivated Collins to begin planning for the future as soon as possible.

At the same time, what was meant to be her farewell season proved one of her most successful to date, featuring back-to-back WTA titles at the Miami Open and Credit One Charleston Open, a semifinal finish at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, a debut on the U.S. Olympic team, and a return to the Top 10 after starting the year ranked outside the Top 50.

“I think society and even the people who follow my life closely have had a difficult time accepting the fact that I’m retiring, and it’s really bizarre!” she said back in May. “I’m going to be 31 at the end of the year, and that’s around the time when people make that milestone! It’s like, give me a break! Let me retire and have a family in peace!”

While there are no guarantees in life, I hope to build on my 2024 momentum and keep playing until there is more certainty around my personal fertility journey. The only guarantee for now will be some more epic matches. Danielle Collins

Injuries curtailed her progress following a retirement from the Summer Olympic Games, but while she was expected to complete her career at representing Team USA at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, Collins, who was also in Florida during Hurricane Milton, shared plans to start her next chapter have “not gone as planned.”

“Dealing with endometriosis and fertility is a massive challenge for many women and something that I am actively traversing, but I am fully confident in the team I am working with. It is just going to take longer than I thought,” wrote Collins, who also hoped to launch a women’s health foundation later this year.

Collins will kick off her 2025 season competing at United Cup ahead of the Australian Open.

“While there are no guarantees in life, I hope to build on my 2024 momentum and keep playing until there is more certainty around my personal fertility journey,” she wrote. “The only guarantee for now will be some more epic matches 🎾”