Miami Open: Danielle Collins Remembers Father’s Stern Rule as She Inches Closer to Fulfilling His Dream

Danielle Collins is in the last tennis season of her career and found a way to make it one of the most special seasons of her career. She defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3 6-2 in the semifinal of Miami Open to land in the first Masters final of her career. Before moving on to the final round, Collins credited her father for being able to develop skills to land in Miami.

Collins began her stint in Miami after coming off of a second-round defeat in Indian Wells. Her performance in the championship was not expected by many, but she has shown why she used to be at rank 7.

“You’re only going if you play in the tournament”: Danielle Collins opens up on father’s influence to reach Miami final

After her win, Collins talked about the first time she ever visited Miami, “Even more special in my home state. My dad said to me when I was a kid, I wanted to come here so bad, ‘You’re only going if you play in the tournament. So you have to make the tournament.’ I’ve had a couple good years here, but this is definitely the most memorable.”

Collins has been on a roll in the Miami Open. The American player reached the final after dropping only one set and beating Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-2. Alexandrova herself reached the semifinal after beating Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula, but she could not face up to the dominating Collins, who is playing her final tournament in her home state. 

Collins will now play against Elena Rybakina in her first-ever WTA 1000 final. A season which had a somber beginning is turning out to be an exciting time for the 30-year-old star. Walter Collins amasses a large place in the American player’s heart. Before the current praise, she talked about why she continues to be inspired by him,

Collins opens up on father’s efforts to help her become a tennis player

Before she faced Caroline Garcia, Collins revealed that her parents were the driving force for her ongoing travel and tournament participation while competing against the newer generation of competitors. She stated, “I think about it a lot with my dad, like 85 years old now he had me a lot later in life and my dad used to get up with me at like 5 in the morning and we would go and practice. Who does that? It’s like pretty amazing, especially at that age.”

She further said that he could have done anything but chose to help her achieve her dream of being a tennis player. His efforts paid off, and Collins will now contest her first Masters 1000 final and bring her best form against the Kazakhstani player.

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