NEW YORK -- Danielle Collins played her final Grand Slam singles match of her career at the US Open on Tuesday, bowing out to Caroline Dolehide 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the first round.
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As she walked off Louis Armstrong Stadium for the last time as a singles player, she bypassed the bouquet of congratulatory flowers offered by Tournament Director Stacey Allaster. It was a subtle but simple message: Danielle Collins isn't done yet.
"I'm still playing the rest of the year, or at least that's the plan right now," Collins told reporters. "You never know with life's challenges and health stuff.
"We'll see. But yeah, I was kind of just bummed I couldn't play some of my best tennis. I was all over the place with my shots. I feel like my timing was a bit off, and stamina and this and that."
She announced at the start of this year that this would be her final season on tour, and 2024 has been quite fruitful for the 30-year-old Collins. This spring, she went on a 15-match winning streak, which included titles at WTA 1000 event Miami and WTA 500 Charleston.
After a busy summer, which included a Round of 16 showing at Wimbledon and her first Olympic games, Collins' heavy schedule caught up to her. She suffered heat stroke in Paris and picked up an abdominal injury during her Olympic quarterfinal against Iga Swiatek. It has been a race against the clock to be ready for her final major appearance.
"No one out here is immune to having bad days," Collins said. "I've physically really been through it since the Olympics, so it's been a struggle."
Dolehide battled to a 2-hour and 40-minute comeback over American No.3 Collins, which was just her second win in their seven meetings. Dolehide reversed the result from the first round of this year's French Open, where Collins won in straight sets.
Ranked No.49, Dolehide fought back from a set and a break down at 6-1, 2-0. After being routed in the first set, Dolehide grinded out the second set on her fifth set point. She hit only four unforced errors in the third set as she held on for her third career Top 20 win -- all of which have come in the last 12 months. It was also Dolehide's first US Open main-draw win. She had been 0-4 in the main draw of the event before this year.
The 25-year-old has also had a successful past 12 months. She reached her first WTA 1000 final at Guadalajara last September, then made her first semifinal of 2024 last month at WTA 500 Washington. She is also up to a career-high No.9 in the doubles rankings.
The positive for Collins is that she's been able to play pain-free tennis, which bodes well for her plans to finish out her final season on a high. She is still in doubles at the US Open, partnering with Caroline Garcia, but she's told the USTA she doesn't exactly want any pomp and circumstance around her final tour through New York.
"I'm not somebody that likes to celebrate my accomplishments," Collins said. I've struggled with feeling guilt around success, and that's something I have had to work on. So I'm not great, honestly, at having an all-about-me moment. I just would prefer to do something like that maybe in private. But I feel like I've gotten enough attention to last a lifetime.
"I was kind of thinking of that movie, I think it was "Meet the Parents" or "Meet the Fockers," where Gaylord has a shrine and all his 18th-place medals. I don't want to be like Gaylord, so I think I'm good."
