Collins on going down college route instead of turning pro: ‘ I don’t think I was ready to turn pro when I was younger’

Danielle Collins didn’t go through the typical route and went to college instead and in a recent column with Tennishead talked it through.

Collins said that she was not ready to turn pro due to maturity and she said she wanted to get an education.

She added that many have it forced into them due to their parents who make them into ‘prodigies’.

As well, the decision was taken due to her family not being wealthy so from her perspective, it was not an option anyway.

"I don’t think I was ready to turn pro when I was younger, just from a maturity standpoint. I also wanted to get an education. I wouldn’t have been happy if I had turned pro at 17 or 18. There are a lot of players who when they were little their parents made them into these child prodigies.

It’s not their choice. That’s just the way they were brought up. I’m glad that everything has been on my terms. It hasn’t been on my parents’ terms. I’ve gotten to make the choices on my own, what I want to do with my life.

I think most kids that turn pro when they’re under 18, I don’t think that’s necessarily their choice. It’s their parents’ choice. Very few players make it to the top. If you’ve got a lot of money or if your federation helps you, go for it.

But if, like me, you don’t come from a wealthy family, taking that gamble is not the right decision in my opinion”.