Collins, who won the NCAA championship twice while playing for University of Virginia after transferring from University of Florida, has slipped to No. 63 in the world rankings after a few injury-plagued years. She announced in January that this would be her last year in professional tennis.

She said she has felt relaxed since she arrived at Hard Rock Stadium for the Miami Open. She attributed that to playing more golf, running, doing pilates, and spending time with her dog.

“Quincy is my little dog, he is very adorable,” she said. “He is a sophisticated gentleman. I call him Mr. Q. He has been here with me during the entire event, but he’s at day care right now. He’s a very spoiled gentleman with a very big personality. But he doesn’t come on match days because he’s my Velcro dog and he doesn’t like leaving my side.”

Collins added that she likes to cook “and Quincy gets to partake in some pretty fabulous meals.

Despite being on a roll at this tournament, Collins doesn’t anticipate changing her mind about retirement, even if she has a great year. She explained that she has a chronic inflammatory disease that affects her ability to get pregnant, “that is a deeply personal situation”, and she wants to focus on her personal life.

“At first when I announced my retirement, everyone was congratulating me and so excited for me, but now it feels like I have to justify my decision,” she said. “At the end of the day, it’s my personal choice. This is about so much more than just tennis and my career. I’m having a lot of fun. I love coming out here and competing. But this is a really big life decision that should be understandable.”

In the men’s afternoon match, Australian Open winner and No. 2 seed Jannik Sinner of Italy cruised past Tomas Machac of Czech Republic 6-4, 6-2 to reach the semifinals. Machac had beaten Andy Murray and Andrey Rublev to reach the quarters, but Sinner, the 22-year-old Italian, was too good. He will face either defending champion Daniil Medvedev or Chile’s Nicolas Jarry in the semifinals.

“We practice very hard to be in these positions and I’m really happy that I can play again here in the semifinals in such a special tournament for me,” Sinner said. “My first finals of my career was here and then last year in the finals again, happy to be in the semis.”

Emhoff at Miami Open for President’s Council announcement

United States Tennis Association (USTA) Chairman of the Board and President Dr. Brian Hainline, alongside Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff and other guests from the White House were on site at the Miami Open Wednesday to announce a USTA partnership with the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition (PCSFN). The PCSFN is a federal advisory committee that aims to promote nutrition and physical activity for all people, regardless of background or ability. Tennis is also the first racket sport to make this commitment. As part of the agreement, the PCSFN and USTA will work collaboratively to bring national health and nutrition programming to communities where tennis is played.

“I grew up in a classic 70s tennis family in New Jersey, my mom was an excellent amateur player, won a lot of tournaments and got me playing juniors when I was five years old,” Emhoff said. “Tennis taught me so much about how to compete, dig deep and stand up for yourself. There’s nowhere to hide on a tennis court.”

Emhoff and Hainline stressed how tennis can improve physical and mental health, and this partnership aims to make the sport more accessible.

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