Danielle Collins postpones her tennis retirement plans and will compete on the 2025 WTA Tour

World No. 9 Danielle Collins has postponed her plan to retire from tennis at the end of the 2024 season and will play on the WTA Tour in 2025.

Collins, 30, has sought advice on her “personal fertility journey” since her last match, which was a loss to Australian qualifier Olivia Gadecki at the Guadalajara Open in Mexico. The American, who had planned her retirement to start a family while treating her endometriosis, which can affect fertility, said in a statement posted on Instagram: “I recently visited a handful of specialists to better understand , which is my best path forward.” I’m realizing my ultimate dream of starting a family.

“Dealing with endometriosis and fertility is a huge challenge for many women and something I am actively managing, but I have full confidence in the team I work with. It’s just going to take longer than I thought.

“So the DANIMAL story isn’t over yet. I will be back on tour in 2025,” she said.

After reaching the quarterfinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she was eliminated by world No. 1 Iga Swiatek due to an abdominal injury, Collins lost four straight games in her comeback. After a surprise loss to her compatriot Caroline Dolehide at the US Open, Collins said in a press conference that her life outside of tennis was affecting her performance on the court.

“I honestly had so many distractions away from the court,” she said. “Just getting through life’s challenges and dealing with them.”

By that tough summer, Collins had had one of the best seasons of her career, returning to the WTA top 10 and winning 15 straight matches between March and May, earning titles at the Miami and Charleston Opens. But that also brought problems because she kept resisting the question of why she should quit even though she was playing so well.

“I loved what I did, the opportunity and the doors it opened for me, but it’s not easy and I’m a homebody,” she said The athlete in March in Miami before winning that title against then world No. 4 Elena Rybakina.

At the moment she is back to tennis. Collins is currently part of the U.S. squad for the Billie Jean King Cup final in Malaga, Spain, which will take place November 13-20.

Analysis: How will Collins handle her unexpected return?

Analysis by tennis writer Charlie Eccleshare

For those who attended what appeared to be Collins’ final Grand Slam press conference at the US Open in August, this news comes as a huge surprise. At the time, Collins was exhausted, feeling unwell and seemed ready to say goodbye to professional tennis. Finally, she paused and said, “Yeah, I’m sorry, I’m a little out of energy. I got a little tired.”

A turnaround seemed unlikely at the time, but here we are, and Collins’ approach and results next year will be fascinating. Her excellent form at the start of 2024 seemed partly inspired by the relief of knowing she wouldn’t be doing this for much longer. Will she re-energize next year by doing something she thought was in the past, or could it be that she’s lacking motivation after already coming to terms with retirement?

The most important thing is the “fertility journey,” which Collins referred to in her social media post. A challenge faced by so many women, Collins’ candor will inspire many people, and everyone in tennis and beyond hopes she can stay healthy and find the motivation and energy she left behind on that sad Tuesday in New York this year.

(Top photo: Shi Tang / Getty Images)