UVA Tennis: Danielle Collins knocked out of U.S. Open in final year on WTA Tour

UVA Tennis alum Danielle Collins is sticking to her plan to retire from the WTA Tour at the end of the 2024 season.

Collins, 30, was knocked out of what will be her last career major on Tuesday, falling 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Caroline Dolehide in the first round of the U.S. Open.

Collins, the #11 seed, was a two-time national champ at UVA, and one of two ‘Hoos, along with Emma Navarro, on the U.S. Olympic team for the 2024 Paris Games.

She’s having one of her better years as a pro, winning two of her four career WTA titles in 2024, but she’s not going back on her decision to retire, saying she wants to start a family, and citing her health challenges coming from having endometriosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

“I want to go out really playing on a high level, and I want people to remember me for the tennis that I was playing,” Collins said. “Some players are almost forced into retirement, due to an injury and then falling out of the Top 100, and that defines the end of their career. This has been really empowering in the way that I’ve been able to make the decision to retire on my own terms and have the ability to choose. I could choose to continue to play, but I’m choosing to retire.”