"Older people like me and Grigor Dimitrov, maybe we have a little bit more wisdom" - Danielle Collins on her and Bulgarian's success at Miami Open
Danielle Collins lightheartedly said that older players like herself and Grigor Dimitrov possibly have more wisdom compared to the newer generation of tennis stars.
Collins defeated Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 in the Miami Open women's singles final to clinch her first WTA 1000 title. The American became the lowest-ranked women's player (WTA World No. 53) to lift the prestigious trophy.
With the win, the 2022 Australian Open finalist is set to become the new World No. 22. Collins achieved her highest ranking of World No. 7 in July 2022.
After Collins' title triumph in Miami, the American was asked if her and Dimitrov's success at the tournament is a sign that the new generation of players is yet to establish itself.
The 30-year-old said that she would rather look at the situation more positively. Collins went on to say that possibly, she and Dimitrov have more wisdom under their belt.
Dimitrov, 32, has been in imperious form on the men's side. The Bulgarian is set to face reigning Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner in the men's final in Miami.
"In a more positive way, maybe, like, the older people like me and Grigor, maybe we have a little bit more wisdom under our belt, right? I don't know. It's hard to tell. I like to think of it more like that rather than what you were saying, but yeah. Yeah, I'll go with that perspective instead," Collins said during her post-match press conference.
"I fight my own battles now, I run my own race" - Grigor Dimitrov
Grigor Dimitrov, seeded 11th at this year's Miami Open, made his way to the men's final after ousting three top 10 players. In the Round of 16, the Bulgarian got the better of World No. 9 Hubert Hurkacz. World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz was Dimitrov's quarterfinal scalp, and in the semis, he stunned World No. 5 Alexander Zverev.
With his semifinal win over Zverev, Dimitrov returned to the top 10 of the ATP Tour rankings after a six-year absence. Following the win, the Bulgarian was asked about his feelings after breaking into the top 10 once again. He responded that he fights his own battles and runs his own race nowadays.
"I fight my own battles right now. I run my own race, I think all that comes with all the work that we have put in as a team. I'm on a very different path in my life, in my career. There's a lot that was done, a lot of work, a lot of everything behind it. I kept on believing, I kept on thriving, I kept on having faith in myself. This is just the cherry on the cake," Dimitrov said (via Eurosport).
Dimitrov trails in his head-to-head against Sinner 1-2. The pair's last meeting came in the quarterfinals of the 2023 China Open, which the Italian won 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.