‘Praying for Everyone’ – Danielle Collins and Former Serena Williams’ Coach React to Devastating Florida Floods

Every coin has two sides. Nature can be your best friend or worst enemy. However, on this occasion, nature showed off its deadly sight as Hurricane Helene ripped through Florida. It caused mass destruction in the state, with thousands of people and property affected. Life came to a standstill here as flash flooding soon followed. Amid this, the tennis community came forward and paid tribute to the victims. The likes of Danielle Collins and Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs, were among the first ones to do so.

Collins took to her official Instagram handle and shared a story showing glimpses of the affected regions. Additionally, she wrote, “Praying for everyone affected by this awful storm.” Interestingly, Collins was born in this very city and is a Florida native. Thus, she is extremely concerned by the grim situation back home and prays for the affected people.

Williams’ former coach, Rennae Stubbs, also expressed her pain seeing Florida go through such difficulty. She couldn’t help but share a message on X, saying, “My friends, parents cottage in Florida. Sending so much love to everyone down in my old hometowns.”

The natural disaster has left at least 22 people dead as the destruction spread southeast. To make matters worse, mudslides in the mountains were also reported. The life-threatening flash flooding has brought grim faces as the situation remains critical. Amid this, Florida’s emergency management director urged citizens not to leave their homes. Further, he added, “I beg you, do not go out. We have 1,500 search and rescue personnel in the impacted areas. Please get out of the way so we can do our jobs.”

Coming to tennis though, Danielle Collins is at the fag end of her career and as she looks to bid adieu to the sport, she is struggling with health issues.

With the countdown to Collins’ retirement having already begun, there remains no margin for error, as she looks to finish on a high. However, the American star had to withdraw from the ongoing China Open due to illness. With this setback, Collins suffered a major blow in her bid to qualify for the WTA Finals. Currently, Collins lies in the 8th spot, 108 points clear of the ninth-placed Qinwen Zheng.

With the China Open absence now, the 30-year-old will potentially fall out of the top 8 that will head to Riyadh. “I mean, I’m still playing the rest of the year, or at least that’s the plan right now. You never know with life’s challenges and health stuff. We’ll see,” Collins said in the aftermath of her US Open first-round loss.

It looks like Collins’ worst fears have come true toward the end of her career as she remains sidelined due to illness. Nonetheless, Collins has maintained that she wishes to have one last laugh before she calls time on her career. With the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in sight, can she accomplish her dream later this season? Let us know in the comments below.