Danielle Collins’ tennis journey “has not reached its conclusion” with the American announcing she will no longer retire at the end of the 2024 season.

Following her early loss at this year’s Australian Open, Collins revealed that “I don’t really know exactly when, but this will be my last season and I’m really looking forward to that”.

She added: “I have other things that I’d kind of like to accomplish in my life outside of tennis, and would like to be able to kind of, you know, be able to have the time to be able to do that. Obviously having kids is a big priority for me.”

Despite impending retirement, the 30-year-old flourished on the WTA Tour as she won back-to-back titles at the Miami Open and Charleston Open and surged up the rankings.

She currently sits at No 9 in the WTA Rankings and has confirmed that she will now plans on returning next year.

“The DANIMAL story has not reached its conclusion. I will be back on tour in 2025,” she wrote on Instagram.

“While there are no guarantees in life, I hope to build on my 2024 momentum and keep playing until there is more certainty around my personal fertility journey. The only guarantee for now will be some more epic matches

“Thank you to all of my fans and the amazing people behind me that have been so encouraging during this time and also to my closest friends on tour that have been supporting me every step of the way ❤️”

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Collins has been very open about her struggle with endometriosis – a condition that causes severe pain in the pelvis and makes it harder for women to get pregnant – and she has played very little tennis during the second half of the season.

Her last match was an early exit from the Guadalajara Open at the beginning of September and she admits life has not gone according to plan recently.

“I’ve been dealing with some issues around my endometriosis and other health challenges. While I was very excited and eager to wrap up my tennis career on a high note this year and jump headfirst into my next chapter of life, things have not gone as planned,” she wrote.

“In addition to managing some lingering health challenges the past few months, I’ve recently been seeing a handful of specialists to better understand what my best path forward is to achieve my ultimate dream, starting a family.

“Dealing with endometriosis and fertility is a massive challenge for many women and something that I am actively traversing, but I am fully confident in the team I am working with. It is just going to take longer than I thought.”