American Danielle Collins breaks silence on Australian Open absence
Breaking her silence on retirement rumours, American Danielle Collins has confirmed she will sit out the start of the 2026 season for personal reasons and physical recovery.
After being noticeably absent from the 2026 Australian Open entry list, Collins took to her Instagram to provide clarity on her health and future.
Collins confirmed that she has spent the last months managing a persistent back injury that hampered her performance in the back end of the 2025 season.
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In tandem with her recovery and rehabilitation, she shared online that she is undergoing egg freezing procedures, a process she described as "one of the coolest things" but also one of the most physically taxing procedures.
"I've been taking the last few months off to recover from the back injury I had at the end of the season. I've also been undergoing a few egg freezing procedures," she wrote on social media.
"It's been one of the coolest things I've honestly ever done! But at the same time, these hormones I have had to be on are a real b---h."
The Aussie tennis summer kicks off with the 2026 United Cup from Friday, January 2. Watch it live and free on Nine and 9Now.
While Collins won't be competing on court in Melbourne in January, she hinted at a guest broadcasting role with Tennis Channel that would have one of tennis' most polarising figures join the team to provide expert tennis analysis during her competition hiatus.
Collins' decision to step away from competition is supported by a landmark WTA Tour policy that allows players on tour to take a break for fertility procedures without sacrificing their status in the sport.
Procedures such as egg or embryo freezing are included in the policy introduced in June of this season, and see players safely return to competition with a protected ranking.
The WTA said, "Eligible players will receive a Special Entry Ranking (SER), which can be used to enter up to three tournaments, based on the 12-week average of their WTA Ranking from eight weeks prior to the start of their out-of-competition period."
The Australian Open is set for January 12 to February 1, 2026.
