Collins finding a new recipe for success ahead of Melbourne

MELBOURNE, Australia -- If every tournament could be played in Australia, Danielle Collins would be first in line to sign up. 

The 29-year-old Floridian has always been able to count on her best tennis showing up in Australia. It's where she made her first major semifinal in 2019 and her first major final last year, where she defeated Iga Swiatek before losing to Ashleigh Barty. 

"It's so similar to Florida in terms of the climate," Collins told WTA Insider. "I like the atmosphere. The people in Australia are super friendly and have great spirit and love watching good tennis. So it's always good crowds and people supporting us. 

"I could play every tournament here. It's a really beautiful country. I'm already thinking about my vacation at the end of this. But I don't want to get too ahead of ourselves."

Seeded No.13, Collins will open her tournament on Monday against Anna Kalinskaya. She has been drawn into top-seeded Swiatek's quarter, meaning the two could face in the quarterfinals. Before that, she could face former semifinalist Karolina Muchova or reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, who she defeated last week in Adelaide. 

As she returns to Melbourne Park as the defending finalist, Collins says she's ready to swing free. She's not feeling any pressure. 

"I mean what's the worst thing that can happen there?" Collins said. "I lose? This is part of sports and I think everyone has been there. I think the only thing you can really do is just try to show up at each event and be prepared as best you can and put yourself in the best position to physically perform and mentally be at your best. And I feel like I'm doing those things."

Collins says her battery is fully charged for the 2023 season, in large part because of her limited schedule last year. After making the Australian Open final in her first tournament of the season, Collins played just 10 more tournaments last year.

"Mentally I'm just kind of more fresh going into this year," Collins said. "I don't feel like I just ended my season and didn't get much time because I had little breaks throughout the year, which was healthy for me physically and mentally."

With time, Collins has learned how be more disciplined with her playing schedule to stay healthy, both physically and mentally. Keeping her life balanced between "real life" and the tour is integral to her happiness, which translates to her on-court performance. 

"I think you can get so caught up in trying to do what everyone else is doing," Collins said. "And at the end of the day, you always have to do what's best for you. For me, that sometimes means playing a shorter schedule and focusing on having better performances within those select few tournaments that I play and allowing myself to peak at the right time. 

"I feel like with the experience over the last couple of years, I'm learning when to taper back and when to kind of go all in. It's definitely been a learning process trying to figure that out because with how many tournaments we have, you could really be like a kid in a candy shop and just play every single tournament every week."

But there are no hard and fast rules for Collins. Currently, she is eyeing a full spring calendar, playing the Middle East and Sunshine Double, two swings she was unable to enjoy last year.

"It's a little easier when you're going far in the tournaments to play a shorter schedule. But if you're you're not going that far in the tournaments, then you might feel like you need to get more matches. Everyone's different. So just kind of seeing how things unfold here in the next couple of weeks."

In the meantime, Collins is doing her best to bring a fun, light-hearted energy to her time away from the courts. In Adelaide, she participated in a "Cooking with Colllins" segment, which she hopes becomes a more regular fixture at different tournaments. For Collins, sharing her culinary adventures and discoveries with her friends and family feels like a natural extension of her life on the road.

"Because of tennis, I've been introduced to so many different countries, cultures and people that I would have never been introduced to had I not been traveling and competing. But unfortunately, not everyone gets to travel 30 weeks out of the year. So the more I think that we can kind of like share what the experiences are off the court, I think it kind of gives a fans a more intimate look and way of being able to connect with the players.

"I'm really hoping that in the coming weeks we can do some that include some of my friends from tour because I think all of the men and women on tour are big foodies. We love food and we're particular about food. Cooking has a way of bringing people together."