Following the "True or False Retirement" controversy, Collins will miss the first half of the 2026 season due to egg-freezing surgery.

Recently, American tennis star and 2022 Australian Open women's singles finalist Collins responded on her personal social media about her recent condition. Two weeks ago, the Australian Open officially announced the women's singles main draw entrants, with Collins being one of the only two top 80 players missing, the other being Jabeur, who has announced her pregnancy.

Collins’ recent photos

Image: Player’s social media

"Seeing that everyone is concerned, I wanted to share an update on my situation! Over the past few months, I have been recovering from a back injury sustained at the end of the season. Besides that, I have undergone several egg-freezing procedures, which honestly have been one of the coolest experiences of my life!"

Collins continued: "However, at the same time, the hormonal medications I had to take were really tough. I’m truly grateful to have had friends supporting me throughout this period. I have one last procedure left, and because of these matters, I won’t be able to compete in the first half of the season."

Collins, 2022 Australian Open runner-up

Image: Visual China

Collins has performed well in Australia; both times she reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam in her career were at the Australian Open. In 2019, she crushed then-No.2 ranked Kerber 6-0, 6-2 in the fourth round, before losing to eventual runner-up Kvitova in the semifinals. In 2022, she went further by defeating Swiatek in straight sets in the semifinals, eventually finishing as runner-up to Barty in the final.

At the beginning of 2024, Collins announced that it would be her final year on the tennis tour, planning to retire and focus on starting a family and having children. However, she gained momentum in subsequent tournaments that year, winning the WTA1000 Miami and WTA500 Charleston titles, and reaching late stages in major events including the Paris Olympics. By the end of the year, she reversed her retirement decision. This season, Collins upset then-No.2 and defending champion Swiatek in the second round of the WTA1000 Rome event.

Collins topples Swiatek in Rome

Image: Visual China

At the end of November, Collins revealed on Roddick’s podcast that she had ended her single status and was in a steady relationship with a finance professional who meets her dating criteria perfectly. "This guy is really cool; he knows nothing about tennis. He’s 6 feet 5 inches tall, has blue eyes, and founded his own investment company in finance," Collins shared, humorously adding that she aspires to become a traditional housewife.

Collins was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2019 and endometriosis in 2021; the latter was often misdiagnosed as common menstrual pain before the correct diagnosis. Drawing from her own experience, Collins has become one of the first players on the WTA Tour to publicly advocate for greater attention to female athletes' health and medical issues.

“My ultimate dream is to have children and build a family. Endometriosis and fertility challenges are significant obstacles for many women, and these are challenges I am actively working to overcome. However, I have great confidence in my current medical team, though treatment is taking longer than I expected.” While away from the court, Collins will appear on Tennis Channel in a new role and promises to share more updates with her fans and supporters going forward.

According to WTA’s protected ranking policy for maternity leave, Collins will receive a protected ranking upon her return to competition to facilitate entry into tournaments. This policy allows players who have been out for over 10 weeks due to pregnancy-related medical procedures (such as egg freezing, embryo preservation, or pregnancy) to maintain their world ranking during their absence, easing their comeback after childbirth or treatment.

(Written and edited by: Dato)