Danielle Collins happy to start life’s ‘next chapter’ after early US Open exit

There was an absence of pomp even though the circumstance of Danielle Collins’ final grand slam singles match of her career certainly merited it.

On Monday, both Dominic Thiem and Diego Schwartzman received on-court tributes following their first-round defeats that capped the ends of their grand slam careers, both men planning to retire at the end of the season.

But that is not what Collins, the 11th-ranked player in the world, desired after her first-round defeat inside Louis Armstrong Stadium to fellow American Caroline Dolehide, 6-1, 5-7, 4-6 in which the vanquished simply could not lock in her game while committing more unforced errors (49) than winners (48) against an opponent who had never before advanced past the Open’s first round.

When tournament director Stacey Allaster approached Collins with a bouquet of flowers and a request/invitation for a brief ceremony, the two-time NCAA champion at Virginia declined and walked off the court … directly into her farewell Open news conference, where she explained her thinking.

She didn’t want to be Gaylord.

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“I’m still in the doubles, and I had requested not to have any presentation on the court,” said the 30-year-old, who is pairing with Caroline Garcia. “I’m not somebody that likes to celebrate my accomplishments.

“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, like, an all-about-me moment. I just, yeah, would prefer to do something like that maybe in private, you know. But I feel like I’ve gotten enough attention to last a lifetime.

“I mean, I was kind of thinking of that movie, I think it was ‘Meet the Parents’ or ‘Meet the Fockers,’ where, you know, Gaylord has a shrine and all his 18th-place medals,” she said to laughter. “I don’t want to be like Gaylord, so I think I’m good.”

Tennis players are a different breed. You could cover the New York Rangers for 20 years and you wouldn’t have one player confess to being so vulnerable. But the tour is different. It is challenging and demanding and, yes, of course players have support systems and mental coaches, but they are out there alone and often trapped with their thoughts.

So Thiem on Monday talked about being excited to lead a normal life. Collins too said she was looking forward to embracing life after the tour.

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“I definitely am. Obviously I’ve talked a lot about wanting to have children and starting a family, and being excited about that, and just kind of stepping away from being in the spotlight,” said Collins, who has been dealing with physical challenges since the Olympics that impacted her performance. “I like the idea of not traveling 40 weeks out of the year. I think that kind of sounds good at this point in my career with all the travel that I’ve done, even though I have enjoyed it a lot.

“I think a lot of us, we dedicate our whole lives to it, to the sport, to the travel. You give up a lot of life experiences for your career. It was a sacrifice I think that paid off, and I’m happy that I did it.

“But yeah, looking forward to other things that I’ll get to be able to participate in, you know, that I haven’t.”

This is a Year of Passage. It is the first year since 2002 that only one of the Big Four is participating, Novak Djokovic carrying the banner for Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray. Neither Serena nor Venus Williams is in the draw. The old guard is on the way out. Maybe there is a little less wattage on the marquee meter.

But maybe not. Because a couple of hours after Collins figuratively waved goodbye to Armstrong and the Open, Naomi Osaka said hello and remember me? on that court by dominating 10-seed Jelena Ostapenko in a 6-3, 6-2 victory in a triumphant return to Queens.

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If you’re looking for star power, you need look no further than Osaka, whose match packed the house. Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, seeded one and two, respectively, are marvelous players. Sabalenka is an entertainer. Great players worth your attention.

But make no mistake, the twin-track that will drive this tournament on the women’s side is the specter of a final between Osaka and defending champion Coco Gauff. There is a long way to go, certainly for Osaka, but they are on opposite sides of the draw and as each champion — Osaka in 2018 and 2020 — advances, the prospect will become more tantalizing.

And look, we all know — well, perhaps Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and Ben Shelton would not agree — that the Open owes us Novak Djokovic-Carlos Alcaraz in the final. That represents wattage.

Eras come and go. The sport didn’t die when Rod Laver retired, it didn’t die when Chris Evert stepped away. There was a gap after John McEnroe stopped winning titles, but after a while, here came Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Jim Courier, and then the Big Three/Four. The tour always regenerates.

Collins, though, she is out. She made the decision in January and is sticking to it.

“The journey has been great,” she said. “But at the same time, I’m just kind of ready for the next chapter.

“Sorry, I’m a little out of gas.”

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