‘Bonus Time’: Collins Sets Out On Charleston Defense

RETIREMENT ON HOLD, ’24 CHAMPION AIMS FOR REPEAT

It’s no secret that Danielle Collins is an animal lover.

So few were surprised when the defending Credit One Charleston Open champion rescued an injured puppy last week in Miami, one that that had been struck by a car not far from Hard Rock Stadium. Fittingly dubbed ‘Crash’, the now-convalescing stray joins her seemingly ever-present courtside companion Quincy (a labradoodle).

“He’s very, very playful and energetic,” said Collins on Monday in Charleston, where she’s gearing up for her opener against fellow American Robin Montgomery. “He just needs some really basic training. But right now, he’s still recovering from his accident. He has some stitches and wounds that need to heal. I’m just trying to get him to rest as much as possible, which has been a challenge because he’s a puppy. He would wake us up at 2 o’clock in the morning and want to play non-stop.”

Few expected to see Collins back on Daniel Island this year. The former world No. 7 and winner of four tour-level singles titles had intended to retire at the close of 2024, a year that saw her reel off 13 straight matches in the spring and go back to back in Miami and Charleston, the most successful stretch of her career. But she changed course and decided to give it one more go-round.

“I like looking at this as ‘bonus time’ to get to do what I love and see where it takes me,” said Collins, 31. “Just to be out here doing something that I’ve worked so hard for over the last 10, 20 years of my life, it’s just a little bit of extended time to enjoy this.”

Collins’ Miami-to-Charleston, cement-to-green-clay double-up of 2024 was no easy feat.

“I’m a versatile athlete and someone who can make those adjustments pretty quickly,” she said. “That actually gives me a lot of confidence when I’m switching surfaces, to have the physical ability to adapt quickly. I look back on that and am really proud of myself. To have played that many matches and physically be able to endure that. I’ve had a lot of physical challenges between two different conditions that I have [rheumatoid arthritis and endometriosis]. That can present challenges.”

The former UVA standout and two-time NCAA singles titlist aims to pull off a repeat in Charleston, then, before heading off to Europe for the remainder of the clay-court swing, check in on her latest family addition, Crash. And her SEVEN chickens.

“I’m very attached to them also,” said Collins. “I’m definitely starting my little farm. So there will be more animals. I feel like once you get chickens, it’s over. Then you want the donkey. Then you want the goats. Then you want the horses. I’m trying to control myself a little bit and not keep getting more and more pets, because it just becomes harder and harder to be on the road when it’s like that.”