Danielle Collins looking forward to new chapter following Australian Open final

Although she surpassed expectations by making it to the finals of the 2022 Australian Open, Danielle Collins is ready to leave that chapter behind her as she plans for the rest of the season.

The 28-year old lost to Ashleigh Barty in her maiden Grand Slam final at Melbourne Park, but that feat saw her become the American No.1 and make her debut in the WTA Top 10 rankings.

“I think moving forward, I have so many more tournaments this year and hopefully another at least 18 events; so really focusing now on those next steps and those tournaments and competing in those events,” Collins told Eurosport on the sidelines of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

“So kind of putting that (the Australian Open) in the rearview mirror and moving forward and thinking about my goals for this year and what I need to do to accomplish those.”

Collins took some time off to undergo surgery last April, before returning to the courts and winning consecutive titles in Palermo and San Jose in August.

"I think when you deal with something like what I was dealing with, with my health challenges, I think you can either really let it bring you down or you can try to focus on your goals and trying to still accomplish those,” said the Floridian.

“And I just tried to focus on doing the best I could every day and luckily, I've been able to do a pretty decent job on court.

“I’m grateful for the painful experiences just as much as some of the more amazing experiences because I think that they're really big moments for growth, personal growth for us, as athletes and as people.”