"My heart broke in half": Danielle Collins 'almost started crying' after line judge collapsed in Badosa win

Recent Miami Open champion, Danielle Collins has revealed that she nearly ‘cried’ after chair umpire Dana slumped to the floor during the ongoing Charleston Open.

The 30-year-old is coming into the competition on the back of an impressive win in the recently concluded WTA 1000 event — the Miami Open—where she defeated Elena Rybakina in the final in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-3.

Collins impressively started her campaign when she defeated Spain’s Paula Badosa in the round of 64 in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-4. During that match, the play had to be stopped as the chair umpire received some treatment after slumping to the floor. 

Collins was quoted in a report recently where she talked in detail about how she nearly ‘cried’ after seeing the incident but expressed satisfaction after reports that the official did not suffer any serious injury. “With everything that happened on the court, oh my gosh my heart broke in half,” said Collins. “I almost started crying, so to try and reset and come back and close out that match against a tough competitor was not easy. Most importantly, it looks like he is going to be okay, so that’s the main thing.”

Collins also went on to talk about how she prepared for the competition after registering her biggest triumph in tennis in the singles category. “On Sunday, I did the five-mile drive back to my home town and got to sleep in my own bed for one night,” she said. “Then I flew here yesterday, I had one hit on the clay at home, so I’m just trying to get the clay under my feet now. You have to be versatile and flexible on this surface and I will try and get better with each match.”