Watch: US tennis star taunts Australian crowd by slamming rumble and bragging about ‘pay cheque’

A “classless” Danielle Collins blew kisses to a hostile Australian Open crowd and thanked fans for helping her land a “big fat pay cheque” as she celebrated a victory over home hopeful Destanee Aiava.

The American 10th seed also hit her back and put her hands to her ears after surviving a second set wobble to seal match point.

Collins’ 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 victory over unseeded Aiava ended Australia’s women’s singles hopes in Melbourne before she rounded fans in a heated courtside interview.

In response to a chorus of boos from fans inside the Kia Arena, Collins said, “You know, I thought during the game, hmm, if I’m out here, I might as well take the big fat pay check.

“CoCo (Vandeweghe, Collins’ doubles partner) and I, we love a good five-star vacation, so part of the paycheck goes to that. So thanks guys. Thanks for coming out here and supporting us tonight.”

The interviewer appeared to cut the conversation short before Collins grabbed the microphone and continued to taunt the audience, adding: “Thanks guys, love you.”

Credit: X / @TheTennisLetter / @eurosport

Collins has already earned £147,000 in prize money by reaching the third round, where she will face compatriot Madison Keys.

The 31-year-old, who reversed his decision to retire at the end of last season, doubled down on his inflammatory comments on the pitch in his press conference.

“Well, I have to be here for two hours and put up with all these people, I might as well take the bigger pay check, right?” Collins said.

“I was super happy to do it, and one of the greatest things about being a professional athlete is that the people who don’t like you and who hate you, they actually pay your bills.

“It’s kind of a cool concept, and of course my professional career isn’t going to last forever, and I remind myself every day when I have things like that that they pay my bills.

“Every person who bought a ticket and came out here to fool me can do what they do. It all goes to the Danielle Collins fund. So please, yes, bring it, I love it.”

She then elaborated on her vacation plans, saying, “Me and my girlfriends, we love a five-star vacation, so I can guarantee the next check will go toward a five-star trip, hopefully to the Bahamas,” she said. “We like boats. Big boats. We like yachts. Yes, we write about it and let you know how it goes.”

Several commentators criticized Collins on social media for the way she mocked the partisan crowd, with one user describing her as a “spoiled brat”.

Todd Scoullar wrote on X: “Does Danielle Collins not realize she’s playing an Australian at the Australian Open? What does she expect the crowd to do? They’ll support the home player. Get over it. Zero class from Collins tonight.”

Collins’ behavior will lead to controversy as Aiava has spoken openly about her mental health issues. The 24-year-old Australian considered taking her own life three years ago when she nearly jumped off a bridge in Melbourne, writing “god mom—— damn that c—” on social media minutes after her defeat.

She deleted the posts just over 30 minutes later, explaining: “I have been advised to delete my tweet but I have a screenshot of it for the memories.”

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