There was a lack of pomp, although the circumstances of Danielle Collins playing her last Grand Slam singles match of her career certainly deserved it.

On Monday, both Dominic Thiem and Diego Schwartzman were honored on court following their first-round losses that marked the end of their Grand Slam careers; both plan to retire at the end of the season.

But that was not what Collins, ranked 11th in the world, wanted after her first-round loss at Louis Armstrong Stadium to fellow American Caroline Dolehide 6-1, 5-7, 4-6. The defeated player simply could not find her game and made more unforced errors (49) than winners (48) against an opponent who had never before made it past the first round of the Open.

When tournament director Stacey Allaster approached Collins with a bouquet of flowers and asked/invited her to a brief ceremony, the two-time NCAA champion from Virginia declined and left the court … and went straight to her farewell Open press conference, where she explained her thoughts.

She didn’t want to be Gaylord.

“I’m still playing doubles and I asked not to make a presentation on the court,” said the 30-year-old, who plays with Caroline Garcia. “I’m not someone who likes to celebrate his successes.”

“I struggled with guilt about my success, and I had to work on that. To be honest, I’m not very good at having moments where everything is just about me. I’d rather do that sort of thing privately, you know. But I feel like I’ve gotten enough attention to last a lifetime.

“I mean, I kind of had to think of that movie, I think it was ‘Meet the Bride, Her Father and Me’ or ‘My Mother-in-Law, Her In-Laws and Me,’ where Gaylord has a shrine and all his medals for 18th place,” she said, laughing. “I don’t want to be like Gaylord, so I think I’m good.”

Tennis players are a different breed. You could cover the New York Rangers for twenty years and not a single player would admit to being so vulnerable. But the tour is different. It is challenging and demanding and yes, of course the players have support systems and mental coaches, but they are out there alone and often trapped in their own minds.

On Monday, Thiem said he was looking forward to living a normal life. Collins also said she was looking forward to enjoying life after the tour.

“I definitely am. Obviously, I’ve talked a lot about wanting to have kids and start a family and that I’m looking forward to that and just wanting to step away from the spotlight,” said Collins, who has struggled with physical issues since the Olympics that have affected her performance. “I like the idea of ​​not traveling for 40 weeks of the year. I think that sounds kind of good at this point in my career with all the traveling I’ve done, even though I’ve really enjoyed it.

“I think many of us dedicate our whole lives to sport, to travel. You give up a lot of life experiences for your career. I think it was a sacrifice that was worth it and I’m glad I did it.”

“But yeah, I’m looking forward to other things that I can participate in, you know, that I haven’t participated in yet.”

This is a transition year. It is the first year since 2002 that only one of the Big Four is taking part, Novak Djokovic, who is flying the flag for Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray. Neither Serena nor Venus Williams are in the running. The old guard is on the way out. Maybe the wattage on the treadmill is a little lower.

But maybe not. Because a few hours after Collins said a figurative goodbye to Armstrong and the Open, Naomi Osaka said “hello” and “remember me?” on this court, dominating No. 10 seed Jelena Ostapenko in a 6-3, 6-2 win and returning triumphant to Queens.

If you’re looking for stars, look no further than Osaka, whose play packed the house. Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, seeds number one and number two respectively, are great players. Sabalenka is an entertainer. Great players who deserve your attention.

But make no mistake: The doubles match that will drive this tournament on the women’s side is the specter of a final between Osaka and defending champion Coco Gauff. Osaka still has a long way to go, to be sure, but they are on opposite sides of the draw, and the further the two champions – Osaka in 2018 and 2020 – get, the more tantalizing the prospect becomes.

And we all know – well, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and Ben Shelton might not agree – that the Open owes us Novak Djokovic against Carlos Alcaraz in the final. That’s power.

Eras come and go. The sport didn’t die when Rod Laver retired, nor when Chris Evert retired. There was a lull after John McEnroe stopped winning titles, but after a while Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Jim Courier came along, and then the Big Three/Four. The tour is always renewing itself.

Collins, on the other hand, is out. She made the decision in January and is sticking to it.

“The journey has been great,” she said. “But at the same time, I’m just ready for the next chapter.”

“Sorry, I’m a little out of breath.”