Danielle Collins shares her next athletic challenge

Danielle Collins is saving the best for last. Since announcing that 2024 will be her final year on the WTA Tour, Collins has played outstanding tennis culminating in a Miami Open victory, the first WTA 1000 title of her career.

On Thursday at the Charleston Open, she defeated defending champion Ons Jabeur early in the day and returned later in the afternoon to defeat Sloane Stephens. After the match, she told Tennis Channel's Steve Weissman that she hadn't played two singles matches since her juniors days.

Collins also told Weissman that before the weather wreaked havoc with the schedule, Thursday was supposed to be an off day when she planned to go on a long run since she is training for a marathon.

Collins thinks running a marathon willl be much harder than playing two matches on the same day

She admitted that running a half-marathon was a big challenge that she already accomplished. The marathon will be at the end of the year in Florida, but she is not sure of the specific event yet.

Collins has a lot of business to attend to prior to that. With the way she is playing and how her ranking is rising, she could end the year at the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia in November. She wants to go out on top, and that would be the perfect way to do it.

In the meantime, she has the Paris Olympics on her mind. The tennis players will be announced on June 9. A lot of tennis, including the French Open (the home court of the 2024 Olympics), will be played between now and then. Collins loves team tennis adding that the Billie Jean King Cup events are among her favorites. Whether she makes the team or not, Collins is excited for the US talent, a mix of veteran and youth, that could comprise the team. She has fond memories of playing with Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys since their youth, and she marvels at the ability of Coco Gauff and Emma Navarro among others.

Collins looks relaxed and happy with her decision to leave the game this year. Could her sense of peace be the reason she is playing lights out tennis right now? It is possible, and we hope it continues for the rest of the year.

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