American tennis player Danielle Collins has opened up on her wish to one day start a family, which is why she is undergoing surgery for endometriosis next week.
The 26-year-old from Florida has enjoyed a mixed season so far, reaching the semi-finals of the Phillip Island Trophy in Melbourne before retiring from her quarter-final match at the Adelaide International.
Having lost in the second round of the Miami Open this week, Collins has announced she will miss the Charleston Open which starts on Monday, to undergo surgery.
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Collins has taken to social media to announce why she is going under the knife for endometriosis (a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb starts to grow in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes).
The American, who reached a career-high No 23, says one of her biggest goals in the future is to start a family.
"Hey everyone, I wanted to give a quick update. I am undergoing surgery on Monday for endometriosis," she announced. "This is has been an ongoing issue for quite some time. Unfortunately it has been effecting my overall day to day life in a way that has caused too much physical agony, and is negatively impacting my ability to perform consistently.
"Off the court, being able to start a family one day is one of my biggest goals. This operation is important for many reasons. I am very disappointed to be withdrawing from the Charleston Volvo car open.
"Charleston is one of my favorite events to compete in so I will look forward to being healthier and coming back stronger than ever."
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Collins will hope to return to action in time for the rest of the clay-court season, with WTA events in Stuttgart and Istanbul before the Madrid Open at the end of the month.
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