Danielle Collins: Tennis star downplays public whistles by saying ‘no harm’ was done

American Tennis star Danielle Collins was booed by the audience at the Australian Open on Saturday, both when she entered the court and when she left, after her defeat against her compatriot Madison Keys.

This comes after Collins, 31, played the role of “bad guy” by taunting the crowd during her second-round victory Thursday over local favorite Destanee Aiava.

Collins, a finalist at Melbourne Park in 2022, ignored insults from some spectators during her match against the 24-year-old local qualifier, blowing kisses to the crowd, leaning in to listen and even making a suggestive gesture to encourage his detractors to kiss him in a particular place.

After her victory on Thursday, Collins sent a message to her detractors: “come on”, while specifying that the winnings she made during this tournament of tennis were going to “all go to the Danielle Collins fund.”

She said: “One of the greatest privileges of being a professional athlete is knowing that the people who don’t like you, the people who hate you, are helping to pay your bills.”

The player, whose Instagram account goes by the handle DanimalCollins, explained that the money would be used to fund a luxurious vacation for her and her friends: “I can guarantee you that this check will be for our next five-star trip, ideally to the Bahamas ”, she added.

Following his straight-sets loss to Keys, 6-4, 6-4, Collins said: “The most important thing is that no one gets hurt. Maybe some feelings were hurt or things were misinterpreted, but they probably shouldn’t have been misinterpreted by the public.”

“I think people sometimes take life too seriously. I’m told the average age of tennis fans is around 65. We need to bring some entertainment to the game. I think we can try to make jokes and laugh.”

“I don’t have a big ego about it.”

Collins paused her retirement from tennis due to “fertility issues” related to endometriosis at the end of last season and was the No. 10 seed in the tournament.

She also mentioned having friends interested in accompanying her on her vacation to the Bahamas and receiving “six sponsorship offers” during the competition.

“It’s a good signal for me. Every fan contributes to this. It’s a real blessing.”

Collins takes home AUD290,000 (around £147,000) for his third-round loss.