Danielle Collins is in unfamiliar territory after suffering a drop down the rankings following her continued absence.
Collins had originally planned to retire from tennis at the end of the 2024 season, after revealing that her fertility plan would take longer than she originally thought.
The American had the best season of her career in 2024, which included winning the Miami Open title, but Collins failed to show this same form last year.
Collins has not played a match since her first round defeat at the US Open last year, and as a result she has now fallen to her lowest ranking since 2018.
Danielle Collins falls out of the top 100 for the first time since 2018
During her time away from the WTA Tour, Collins has been commenting on the likes of Iga Swiatek as a pundit for Tennis Channel.
Collins, who is a former world number 10, continued this role at the Miami Open, but her inactivity away from the match court means that her ranking has now suffered.
Having dropped 120 ranking points from reaching the fourth round at the Miami Open last year in the latest update of the WTA rankings, Collins has now fallen 21 places.
This places Collins as the world number 120, which is the former Australian Open finalist’s lowest ranking since January 2018.
Collins’ new ranking is particularly important as it means that it would not be enough for her to receive direct entry into Grand Slams alone.
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With Collins now taking many media opportunities in tennis, there has been some speculation over whether the 32-year-old has actually retired from tennis.
However, earlier this year, Collins confirmed that this was always in her plan, as she looked to recover from a back injury, as well as undergoing more fertility procedures at the time, and she would be missing ‘the first part’ of the 2026 season.
“Wanted to come on here and give everyone a little update since everyone has been asking!” Collins wrote on Instagram at the time. “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. 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****. I am so fortunate for the friends that have been helping take care of me during this time. I have one more procedure to go.
“With all of this, I will not be competing during the first part of the year. But you will be seeing me in a different capacity with @tennischannel. This is all I will be sharing for now. More updates to come.”
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It is unclear as to how long ‘the first part’ of the season exactly is, but Collins is not currently on any entry lists for the clay court season.
While Collins has dropped down the rankings, she would be entitled to a protected ranking, that would be high enough to get her direct entry into majors, when she returns to the sport.
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