Wednesday, 30 July 2025
Saturday, 18 January 2025
DANIELLE COLLINS IS JEERED OFF THE COURT AS SHE CRASHES OUT OF THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN - BUT TENNIS STAR DUBBED A 'BRAT' FOR ON-COURT ANTICS CLAIMS SHE HAS RECEIVED SIX SPONSORSHIP OFFERS AFTER TAKING ON HECKLERS
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| Collins flashed a gesture toward the crowd after being heckled as she left the court |
- The American pantomime villain lost to her compatriot in straight sets
- Collins was booed after sarcastically thanking spectators for 'paying my bills'
- She also insisted she wouldn't let the persistent heckling get under her skin
Danielle Collins was booed off the court after being knocked out of the Australian Open following her defeat to fellow American Madison Keys on Saturday.
Collins, 31, became a pantomime villain at Melbourne Park after sarcastically hitting back at her hecklers, having defeated home favourite Destanee Aiava in the second round on Thursday before bragging about earning a 'big fat cheque'.
She also blew kisses at the crowd, cupped her ear and even slapped her backside.
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| Collins had sarcastically cupped her ear after being jeered by the crowd on Thursday |
One critic took exception to her behaviour, scathingly labelling her a 'brat', and there was no love lost when she returned to the court for her third round tie.
Collins, the 10th seed in the women's singles, smiled after being given a mixed reception when she walked out on centre court at Rod Laver Arena.
But cheers soon went up when she made her first double fault and despite showing glimpses of a fightback in the second set, Collins was downed 6-4 6-4.
At the end of the first set, the chair umpire told the crowd to respect both players.
Collins endured a miserable display and also required a medical timeout at 4-3 down in the second set, with heavy strapping then applied to her left leg.
After crashing out, she hobbled off the court to more audible jeers and made a gesture to fans as she headed for the exit.
Speaking in her post-match press conference, Collins admitted she 'expected' to be booed by the crowd, but claimed it was a 'blessing' having received six sponsorship offers during the Grand Slam.
‘Like I said, I really do enjoy playing in these types of environments,' Collins said. 'It's what you work so hard for your entire life as a kid. I embraced it.
Obviously, I'm towards the end of my career, it's wonderful that I can capitalise on these opportunities.
‘I think that six different sponsorship opportunities come up this tournament alone, that's a great signal for me. Obviously, like I said, every fan contributes to that. It's been a real blessing.'
Collins was asked whether she could one day win back the Australian public, with the American claiming it was 'up to them' and suggested the crowd may have taken things too seriously.
'Someone was telling me the average age of people watching tennis is 65,' said Collins, who laughed off being labelled a 'brat'.
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| She believes she was primarily heckled because she was facing the last Australian standing |
I think we need to bring some entertainment to the game and make jokes and laugh, I don't have a big ego when it comes to this, I don't care what is written about me.
'I don't care what some guy living in his basement is writing on the internet. You know what I mean?
'I'm just trying to have fun. I'm just try to enjoy my life and have fun with it.’
A beaten finalist to Ash Barty in Melbourne in 2022, Collins had yelled at the crowd to 'shut up' after a fault during her pulsating victory over Aiava.
Later, however, she said she used the 'hostile atmosphere' as motivation.
'One of the greatest things about being a professional athlete is that the people that don't like you and the people that hate you, they actually pay your bills,' Collins said.
'My professional career is not going to last forever so I just remind myself every day when I have that kind of stuff [negative crowd reactions] they're paying my bills.
'Every person that has bought a ticket to come out here and heckle me or do what they do, it's all going towards the Danielle Collins fund.
'I think they really wanted for her to win badly. I think there were a lot of people that were super drunk and had a hard time controlling themselves and were really excited.
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| Keys won in straight sets two days on from Collins' dramatic victory over Destanee Aiava |
'I'm from a different country, here competing against someone that's from here. Ultimately it wasà a pretty cool environment I thought.
'Even though it was pretty rowdy, this girl loves it, so...
'All I have to say is good luck pissing somebody off or getting under the skin of somebody that really doesn't care.'
Speaking after her fourth round loss, Collins joked her friends on tour had asked whether they would be invited on the yacht after her on court vow to go on a luxury holiday.
- DANIEL DAVIS
Friday, 17 January 2025
NOVAK DJOKOVIC'S OPINION ON DANIELLE COLLINS' AUSTRALIAN OPEN ANTICS
Novak Djokovic has had his say after Danielle Collins went viral following her victory over home favourite Destanee Aiava in the second round of the Australian Open. The 31-year-old secured her passage to the next round after winning the match 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-2, but her triumph was marred by a series of bad-tempered exchanges with the local crowd who, naturally, were keen to see Australia's Aiava advance.
At one point during the match, world number 11 Collins reacted to the taunts of those in attendance by telling one fan to "shut up". Having endured two hours and 22 minutes of boos from the crowd, Collins was determined to have the final word once she won the match.
As soon as she'd won the point necessary to seal victory, Collins cupped her ears to the crowd and then blew them kisses. The rage of the fans only got worse when the American mockingly slapped her backside in response to their reaction.
Novak Djokovic Admits to Being 'Big Fan' of Collins' Antics
Tennis icon admits he would have done the same in the American's shoes
Collins' actions have attracted widespread criticism online, with fans and pundits alike condemning her unsportsmanlike behaviour. However, 24-time Grand Slam champion, Djokovic isn't among those voices.
The Serbian legend even conceded that he may have gone even further than Collins if he had been faced with the same barrage of abuse.
"I loved her response. I loved it, everything she said on the court, off the court. Big fan of Danielle Collins after that. I was before, but now, big fan. I love it. I heard some comments of people that she shouldn't have said that or that. I think she handled it really well. I don't think I would be that polite, and I know exactly the feeling. So I think she was funny, smart, and just big fan of what she did. Big fan."
Djokovic has had a number of disagreements with boisterous crowds down the years. At Wimbledon last year, he used his post-match interview following his victory over Holger Rune to criticise those in attendance who he felt were booing him - and clearly believes that players are well within their rights to hit back at fans' negativity towards them while on court.
Collins doubled down on her sentiments when interviewed by the host broadcaster. Having guaranteed minimum prize money of £147,500, she gleefully thanked the fans for helping her to fund "a five-star vacation". Later, in her post-match press conference, she referenced fans contributing to "the Danielle Collins Fund".
After her victory over Aiava saw her eliminate the last remaining Australian in the tournament, Collins is unlikely to get a great reception when she takes to the court for her third round match with Madison Keys on Sunday. Djokovic will also compete again on Sunday as he takes on 24th-seed Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round.
- Nick Sutherland
Wednesday, 31 July 2024
IGA SWIATEK HIT BY BALL,
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| AP |
Iga Swiatek dropped to her knees on the court and clutched at her midsection after getting hit by a ball during a point in the Paris Olympics singles quarterfinals Wednesday, but it was her opponent, Danielle Collins of the United States, who stopped playing later in the third set.
Swiatek was leading 6-2, 1-6, 4-1 when Collins retired from the match after taking a medical timeout then getting another visit from a trainer.
Collins, a 30-year-old who was the runner-up at the 2022 Australian Open and has announced she will retire from elite-level tennis after this season, said she cramped and went into convulsions because of dehydration and exhaustion after competing in heat that reached 97 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday.
She blamed Olympic organizers for not having insulated water bottles, for the water not being cool enough and for not "prioritizing the health of the athletes."
"It's incredibly disappointing because you work so hard your whole life to make it to the Olympics, and this is my first and my last Olympics, and something like not having adequate water on court. That's really frustrating and it's really sad," Collins said.
In the opening game of the final set, with Collins serving at deuce, she directed a backhand down the middle of the court. Swiatek was up at the net and unable to get out of the way of the shot.
Swiatek looked stunned as she let go of her white racket and stopped down on the red clay at Court Suzanne Lenglen. Collins -- who asked, "Iga, are you OK?" -- walked around the net to check on Swiatek, and chair umpire Damien Dumusois climbed out of his perch to see how the world's No. 1 player was.
"I could not breathe for a moment. It hurt for a bit," Swiatek said. "But with the adrenaline that you have on court, you don't feel as much as you should."
Swiatek eventually rose and nodded to indicate she could continue.
Three points later, Collins pushed a forehand long and Swiatek had a break. Soon, she would break again to lead 3-0 in that set, and Collins left the court for a medical timeout that delayed the action for about five minutes. When they resumed, it quickly became 4-0, before Collins took a game. But then she conceded the match.
In the semifinals, Swiatek will face Zheng Qinwen, who ended the stellar career of Germany's Angelique Kerber in a titanic tussle that ended 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (6).
Zheng failed to convert three successive match points in the third set as Kerber clung on grimly in stifling heat but eventually prevailed, collapsing to the red clay in disbelief as Kerber's last shot struck the net.
Kerber, a three-time Grand Slam champion, announced last week she would retire after the Olympics.
"I've achieved everything I dreamt of," Kerber said. "I was No. 1, won Grand Slams, won a [silver] medal in Rio, so what more could you want in the end?"
Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic bowed out with a 6-4, 6-2 loss to Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. Schmiedlova has now eliminated both women who played in the final at the All England Club 2½ weeks ago. She defeated Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini in the third round Tuesday and now is the first tennis semifinalist from Slovakia at a Summer Games since 1988.
Krejcikova was seeded ninth in Paris and has fared well on the clay courts at Roland Garros, which hosts the French Open and is being used for tennis at these Olympics. Her first Grand Slam singles championship came at the French Open in 2021, when she also won the doubles title.
But with the heat at 90 degrees Fahrenheit and the air thick with humidity, Krejcikova looked listless down the stretch against Schmiedlova, a 29-year-old who is ranked 67th and owns one fourth-round appearance at a Slam. That came last year at Roland Garros.
By the end, Krejcikova appeared spent and was barely moving. She slapped a forehand into the net to finish the match, and Schmiedlova raised both arms overhead.
The two players accumulated nearly the exact same number of winners, with 18 for Krejcikova and 17 for Schmiedlova. The big difference was in unforced errors: 32 by Krejcikova, more than twice as many as Schmiedlova's 15.
That included five double-faults for Krejcikova, who needed to deal with 11 break points and lost five of her service games.
Next for Schmiedlova will be a match Thursday against Donna Vekic of Croatia, who beat Coco Gauff in the third round, or Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, with a place in the gold medal final on the line.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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Tuesday, 30 April 2024
Saturday, 23 December 2023
TOP 10S: RANKING THE BEST MEN'S AND WOMEN'S PLAYERS HEADING INTO 2024
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| Coco Gauff, ranked No. 3 in the world, won her first Grand Slam title in September. Getty Images |
It was an odd year for American tennis.
There were, as always, random thrills and breakthroughs. On the men's side, for instance, Tommy Paul reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, and Christopher Eubanks enjoyed a late-career breakthrough at Wimbledon. But the year as a whole often felt like one of stagnation.
Taylor Fritz basically ended the year where he started from a rankings standpoint and couldn't turn a top-10 ranking into sustained threats in Grand Slams. Frances Tiafoe dipped his toe into the ATP top 10 but suffered a major funk at the end of the year. Sebastian Korda seemed primed for a breakthrough but missed months with an injury. Reilly Opelka was still working back from injury. Jenson Brooksby was suspended for 18 months for missed drug tests. John Isner faded, then retired.
On the women's side, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff both remained steady threats, but for much of the year, they, too, seemed to be running in place a bit. Veterans like Madison Keys, Danielle Collins and Sloane Stephens battled consistency issues. Jennifer Brady was still working back from injury.
The US Open changed quite a bit. Gauff kicked into top-three mode over the summer and rode it to her first Slam title, while Keys came within a heartbreaking third-set tiebreak loss of the finals. Meanwhile, Fritz, Tiafoe and up-and-comer Ben Shelton broke into the quarterfinals, with the 21-year-old Shelton swaggering his way into the semis.
With lots of stars making gains and a couple breaking through in a major way, suddenly 2023 went from a year of stagnation to tantalizing development and depth. What will 2024 have in store? Do players such as Pegula, Fritz and Tiafoe still have another level to add to their respective games? Can Gauff maintain her otherworldly summer and fall form? Does Shelton's trajectory continue? Acknowledging that there are also surprises -- and that tennis' brief offseason is the perfect time for "Here's where [player] overcomes injuries and surges again" optimism -- here are our predictions for the top 10 American men and women, ranked by their 2024 prospects.
Jessica Pegula has reached the quarterfinals of five of her last eight Grand Slams. Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports