Danielle Collins drops to her lowest ranking in eight years as WTA Tour absence goes on

Danielle Collins is in unfamiliar territory after suffering a drop in 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 slips out of the top 100 for first time since 2018

While away from the tour, Collins has kept herself in the mix as a Tennis Channel pundit, regularly offering her thoughts on players like Iga Swiatek.

She continued in that role at the Miami Open, but time away from competition has taken its toll on her ranking. In the latest WTA update, Collins lost 120 points from last year’s fourth-round appearance in Miami, dropping her 21 places.

She’s now ranked world number 120, marking her lowest position since January 2018.

This ranking is significant as it no longer guarantees direct entry into Grand Slam tournaments. At present, only the top 104 players receive a direct entry spot into each event.

Questions rise over Danielle Collins’ future in tennis

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.”

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.

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