"Maybe public speaking" - Chris Evert weighs in on Danielle Collins' potential post-retirement career plan after her Charleston Open victory speech

Chris Evert recently weighed in on Danielle Collins' potential post-retirement career plan following her victory speech at the 2024 Charleston Open.

Collins secured a decisive victory over fourth seed Daria Kasatkina, triumphing 6-2, 6-1 in just one hour and 17 minutes to claim the Charleston Open title. This marked her 13th consecutive win and her second consecutive title following her win at the 2024 Miami Open.

The last player to achieve the feat of winning in Miami and Charleston in the same year was Serena Williams back in 2013. With this win, the former World No. 7 became the fourth unseeded player to clinch the Charleston Open title, joining the ranks of Iva Majoli, Justine Henin, and Daria Kasatkina.

During the post-match trophy presentation, Danielle Collins graciously expressed her gratitude to all those who had supported her. She extended her thanks to the WTA, Charleston Open tournament Director Bob Moran, Ben Navarro, and the Navarro group, ball kids, support staff, security, police, volunteers, and the fans in attendance.

Collins also gave a special shoutout to her boyfriend Bryan, and her friends who had come to show their support, and also thanked them for bringing her beloved dog Quincy.

During her speech, Collins mentioned that Quincy, affectionately referred to as Mr. Q by her, was likely feeling anxious and "freaking out" at not being able to get close to her despite seeing her on the court speaking to the crowd. She revealed that she needed to wrap up her speech quickly so she could give Quincy a "big hug."

"Mr. Q was so missed this week, so I can't wait to give him a big hug. I know he's freaking out over there because he sees me, and he's desperate to get on court. So I'm going to have to wrap this up, because I'm driving him nuts right now. So thank you. Thank you to everybody. Thank you also to everyone that came out here and supported us this week," Collins said.

Impressed by Collins' eloquent speech, former World No. 1 Chris Evert took to social media and suggested that she could pursue "public speaking" as a potential career path post-retirement.

"Maybe public speaking next for Danielle Collins? ! 👍 👏 💪🏻 😂 ," Evert posted on X (formerly Twitter).

---

Danielle Collins on her Charleston Open win: "To come out here and put on a great show each match, it's been a lot of fun"

Danielle Collins with the 2024 Charleston Open trophy

During her post-match interview on Tennis Channel following her win over Daria Kasatkina, Danielle Collins expressed that winning the 2024 Miami Open and following it up with a victory at the Charleston Open was a "rewarding feeling."

"After the week that I had in Miami, for me to come out here and to be able to kind of back it up and compete the way that I did and be so focused and just carry that momentum forward. It's a really rewarding feeling," Danielle Collins said (at 2:10).

Collins also opened up about the support she received from both the fans and the support staff. The 30-year-old American credited this support for helping her maintain momentum and deliver decisive performances in each match, which made it a "lot of fun" for her.

"The support that I had this week with all of the fans and the support staff here, it's just incredible and it means a lot because this is a player-favorite event. It's a big event and it's and you know, like I said, it's one of our favorites. So to come out here and put on a great show each match, yeah. It's been a lot of fun," she added.