Collins credits diet to renewed sense of health

Danielle Collins was heading into Roland Garros seeking her first win since the Australian Open. She would take out tricky qualifier Monica Niculescu on Tuesday, 2-6, 6-2, 6-1. It marks just her third appearance, having lost to eventual champion Ashleigh Barty in the second round last year and falling to Caroline Wozniacki in her debut in 2018.

The 26-year-old is coming in low on match play since she lost in the opening rounds of the Western & Southern Open and US Open after a summer scattered with exhibitions.

The former world No. 23 had been dealing with some health struggles in the past year.  A serious ab tear forced her to miss events following the Australian Open right into the COVID-19 shutdown. While players were stunned by the cancellation of Indian Wells, Collins was not ready to compete yet.

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The benefit was that she had more time to heal without the distractions of missing tournaments, and she could really focus on her diet, which is crucial for her as she's coping with a recent diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.

"I started doing a more specific diet once I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis because there's things that can kind of trigger flare-ups," Collins said on the TENNIS.com Podcast. "So it was important that I was able to identify the things that would kind of cause me to have a reaction."

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She has switched to dairy-free and gluten-free while trying to be largely plant-based and even making vegan meals when she's at home.

"I just had to make some lifestyle changes really, which are hard because I feel like everything that's good has dairy or gluten in it," the world No. 57 said.

Rheumatoid arthritis affects the joints and is a lifelong chronic inflammatory disease that has no cure though the progression can be slowed with treatment. In 2018, former No. 1 Wozniacki revealed she is suffering from the same disease. She has since retired and just launched Advantage Hers, a website aimed at helping women dealing with inflammatory diseases.

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The great news for Collins is that her commitment to making lifestyle changes has paid off, and her career can continue as she chases more Grand Slam success like her 2019 Australian Open semifinal breakthrough.

"This has been the healthiest that I've been the last 4, 5 months," she said. "And I think a lot of it has to do with the diet."