Danielle Collins hits back at Australian Open critics: ‘Six sponsorship opportunities came into this tournament’

Danielle Collins has hit back at criticism of her encouragement of the Australian Open crowd, saying: “I don’t care what a guy who lives in his basement writes on the internet.”

Collins, the US world no. 11, has come under fire over the past two days after her provocative reaction to beating home favorite Destanee Aiava on Thursday. A raucous crowd had been vocal in their support for Aiava, and after winning in three sets, Collins put a hand to her ear, kissed the supporters and thanked them in her on-court interview for giving her a “big fat pay check.”

Later in her post-fight press conference, she added, “One of the biggest things about being a professional athlete is the people who don’t like you and the people who hate you, they actually pay your bills. It’s kind of a cool concept.

“Every person that bought a ticket to come out here and fool me, it all goes to the Danielle Collins Fund. Bring it on. I love it.”

The 31-year-old was beaten 6-4, 6-4 in the third round on Saturday by compatriot Madison Keys and was booed throughout by the Australian fans. Collins, who suffered a knee injury at the end of the game, made a peace gesture to the stands as she left the field, but afterwards hinted that the home fans ultimately gave her more earning potential.

“It’s wonderful that I can take advantage of these opportunities,” she said at a post-match press conference on Saturday. “I think six different sponsorship opportunities came for this tournament alone. That’s a good signal for me.

“Obviously, like I said, every fan contributes to that. It’s been a real blessing.”

She added that she is not bothered by the invective coming her way on and off the field, including Tony Jones, a veteran Australian sports presenter, who called her “a brat” on Friday. “I don’t have a big ego when it comes to this,” Collins said, later referring to Jones as “this old guy.” “Honestly, I don’t care what is written about me. I don’t care what some guy living in his basement writes on the internet.”

Her response to Thursday’s incident was praised the next night by 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, who said he “loved” Collins in the match against the home crowd. He added that he was now a “big fan” of the American, who said the rest of the dressing room had been similarly supportive. Djokovic went on to say that tennis needs to become less stable as a sport and more adventurous, advocating for himself dancers to provide entertainment in the middle of the match on the pitch.

Collins reiterated the need for tennis to modernize. “I feel like people take life way too seriously sometimes,” she said. “Someone told me the average age of tennis watchers and fans is 65 (as of last summer, the median age of a Tennis Channel viewer in the U.S. was 62, according to Nielsen, the data aggregator). We’ve got to bring some entertainment to the game. We can try to make jokes and laugh.”

Of the booing she faced on Saturday, Collins said: “Obviously I expected it. It’s fine. Like I said, I really enjoy playing in these types of environments. It’s what you work so hard for your whole life as a child. I embraced it. I thought it was good at times.”

Collins wasn’t sure of the severity of the knee problem she brought up, referring to a foot problem she’s also dealing with, but said she would take the vacation she had mentioned after beating Aiava. “Me and my group of girlfriends, we love a five-star vacation, so I can guarantee the check will go toward our next five-star trip — hopefully to the Bahamas,” Collins said in his on-court interview after beating Aiava.

“We like boats, we like big boats, we like yachts, so we write about it and let you know how it goes.”

She joked that other players have asked her if they can join the trip.

Collins had planned to retire at the end of last yearbut complications caused in part by her endometriosis mean she continued. She has signed up for events in Doha, Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami and Charleston over the next few months, fitness and health permitting.

Keys plays against no. 6 seed Elena Rybakina in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Sunday.

This article originally appeared in Athletics.

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