WTA Star Breaks Silence on Personal Health Battle as She Joins Danielle Collins in Emotional Confession

With tennis being so physically demanding and mentally challenging, there is a very fine line between success and failure in this sport. Moreover, with the competitive landscape ever changing, one can hardly take its foot off the pedal. Things become all the more difficult for players suffering from a health condition, and even stars like Rafael Nadal and Caroline Wozniacki have opened up about their struggles in the past. Amid this, WTA star Elina Avanesyan shared a concerning update, which left the tennis world worried.

22-year-old Armenian star Elina Avanesyan shared her medical update in a message posted on her official X handle. She emerged on the WTA circuit after reaching the fourth round of the French Open two years back. At a time when she was on the rise in her career, her medical condition seemed to have put her on the back foot.

Avanesyan wrote, “Back in March, I was diagnosed with mononucleosis. At first, I didn’t fully realize how much it would affect me, but soon I was feeling exhausted all the time, with no energy, and even the simplest training sessions became really difficult. This was especially hard to accept because the first two months of the season had gone so well. I was competing at a high level, feeling in great shape, and truly enjoying my tennis. To go from that to feeling so weak and unable to perform was incredibly frustrating.”

The 22-year-old also suffered from wrist and shoulder injuries this season and had an on-and-off time on the court. Moreover, she had a first-round US Open exit, which was her most recent appearance. Overall, it has been a disastrous season for the 22-year-old, and she lost in the first round of all the major tournaments this year. As a result, she dropped out of the top 100 of the WTA rankings. Meanwhile, Avanesyan isn’t the only one who has been suffering from illness on the WTA Tour.

Yesterday, Danielle Collins took to her official Instagram handle to share that she has been sick over the past few days. The American star was also hospitalized, but had the support of her family and friends during this tough period. “It has been the absolute worst being a million miles away from home, feeling sick, my back just absolutely killing me, and being up all hours of the night. I don’t know what I would have done without my friends @isabeau_ruiter and @menno_de_groot if they weren’t there to help take care of me the last few days,” she wrote on Instagram, as she shared some glimpses of her time of late.

After an inspiring last season, things haven’t gone quite the way she would’ve liked this season. Collins has been suffering from endometriosis and even decided to retire last year. But she made a U-turn on her retirement decision and was last seen in action at the US Open, where she lost against Jaqueline Cristian in the first round on August 26.

Not only this, Collins was also in the news for her emotional outburst at the Cincinnati Open. Following that incident, she opened up about the reason behind her outburst.

Danielle Collins hits back at haters following unusual Cincinnati Open outing

Ahead of the US Open, Danielle Collins suffered a shocking first-round defeat in Cincinnati on August 8, 2025. She went down fighting against a spirited Taylor Townsend in straight sets. Following the match, Collins had an emotional outburst and went straight into the dressing room. Later, she revealed that she suffered a herniated disc and was playing with pain.

Moreover, she wasn’t happy with people judging her based on her on-court conduct that day without knowing about the actual reason that led to that outburst. “It’s no surprise the keyboard warriors can’t understand or relate, as they’ve been too busy sitting on their a—s judging people who show up and try to give it their best even on days that suck,” she said, in a veiled dig at her haters.

With the 2025 season nearing its end, the likes of Collins and Avanesyan can take their time off and recover from their illness to make a fresh start next year. While the tennis calendar gets more brutal with each passing season, players have to craft their schedule with care to avoid such setbacks.