Collins confident ahead of Australian Open: "I think my game is at a really high level right now"

Collins spoke before the Australian Open; she said that for herself the biggest part is that she is healthy and that she is beginning to feel more consistent again after dealing with so much pain.

“I think my game is at a really high level right now. I’ve been putting in a lot of hard work and it’s clearly paying off,” Collins told reporters this week in Adelaide.

“The biggest thing is I’m healthy this year, I was not healthy last year. Having that diagnosis is not something any athlete wants to deal with. Luckily I’ve been able to come out on the other side of it and I’ve been feeling really well and I’m actually feeling like a normal person again and that’s the biggest thing, it’s just feeling more consistent and not dealing with the pain.”

“It was very taxing mentally because I didn’t really know what was going on for a while, especially during the diagnosis process. They do so much blood work and then they have to measure things at different times, so it’s not like you just find out what you have. It’s like a month-long, more than that process,” she said.

“It’s been awesome having a full team and I’m really thankful that I’m able to do it and being able to get all of the assistance that I need this year because last year was honestly a complete disaster, with the coaching situations, the constant changing, and just not getting what I needed,” added Collins.

“I think I have a pretty positive outlook on my career. I’m relatively new to the tour, so there’s been a lot of figuring out what works and scheduling and getting used to the travel. I think I have a positive outlook on my career and I feel very grateful to be able to play professional tennis for a living, getting to do what I love consistently and perform, I’m very grateful.”