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.<\/p>\n
After being noticeably absent from the 2026 Australian Open entry list<\/a>, Collins took to her Instagram to provide clarity on her health and future.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n READ MORE: NFL star banned ahead of playoffs after ugly fan clash<\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE: Two changes as selectors unveil new-look squad for Boxing Day<\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE: Verstappen’s damning insight into scandal that shook up title race<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n The Aussie tennis summer kicks off with the 2026 United Cup from Friday, January 2. Watch it live and free on Nine and 9Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> join the team to provide expert tennis analysis during her competition hiatus.<\/p>\n Collins’ decision to step away from competition is supported by a landmark WTA Tour<\/a> policy that allows players on tour to take a break for fertility procedures without sacrificing their status in the sport. <\/p>\n Procedures such as egg or embryo freezing are included in the policy introduced in June<\/a> of this season, and see players safely return to competition with a protected ranking.<\/p>\n 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.”<\/p>\n