Danielle Collins turned a hostile Melbourne crowd into her own theater during a fiery second-round victory at the Australian Open, embracing the jeers and delivering a cheeky performance that left no doubt she thrives on being the villain.
Rowdy crowd, fiery Collins
The 31-year-old American, playing against Australian wildcard Destanee Aiava, faced a raucous crowd that was anything but subtle in their support for the hometown favorite. Booed and heckled throughout the match, Collins didn’t back down. Instead, she leaned into the chaos, telling one fan to “shut up,” blowing kisses to the crowd, and even slapping her backside as they jeered her win.
In her post-match press conference, Collins dismissed the hostility with trademark defiance.
“Good luck p***ing somebody off or getting under the skin of somebody that literally doesn’t give a… can I say it?” she quipped, breaking into laughter as the moderator nervously intervened.
‘This girl loves it’
Collins chalked up the rowdy atmosphere to a passionate Aussie crowd and even praised the environment, highlighting the unique energy of competing against a local player.
“Look, Destanee is from here. They really wanted her to win badly,” Collins said. “There were a lot of people who were super-drunk and had a hard time controlling themselves. It was pretty rowdy. But this girl loves it.”
Backlash won’t faze her
Collins, who reached the Australian Open final in 2020, faces fellow American Madison Keys in the third round. With tensions running high and the potential for more backlash from the crowd, she remains unfazed. In fact, she sees the boos as part of the job—and a profitable one at that.
“One of the greatest things about being a professional athlete is that the people that don’t like you and hate you, they actually pay your bills,” Collins said, noting that her guaranteed prize money of at least £147,000 made it easier to ignore the hostility.
“It’s kind of a cool concept. My professional career is not going to last forever, and I just remind myself every day when I have that kind of stuff that they’re paying my bills.”
A force to be reckoned with
Collins’ brash confidence and on-court firepower have always made her a polarizing figure, but her resilience and ability to perform under pressure remain undeniable. With her sights set on another deep run in Melbourne, she’s proven that she’s just as comfortable playing the hero as she is the villain.
For Collins, it’s all part of the game. And as she puts it:
“Good luck trying to get under the skin of somebody that really doesn’t care.”
