CNN
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Danielle Collins appeared to relish playing the role of pantomime villain at the Australian Open on Thursday as she beat local favorite Destanee Aiava 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 in front of a raucous crowd.
The American was booed and taunted during the match and responded by cutting off her ear and blowing kisses to the crowd after securing the victory.
As she backed away from the chair, Collins continued to blow kisses in all directions before kissing her hand and slapping her butt.
Despite the hostilities against her, the No. 10 seed said she “loved” playing in this atmosphere.
“I’ve been doing this my whole life and I love playing to a crowd that has energy, no matter what side they’re on,” Collins told reporters. “I’m someone too, it motivates me even more so it’s quite a good thing, especially when I’m not playing very well.
“So I think that really helped me in the end and just helped me focus more, and challenged me at times, and just pushed me across the finish line.
“I was really happy at the end when I finally got some momentum. I thought, ‘Well, if I’m going to stand here for two and a half hours putting up with all these people, I might as well take the bigger paycheck.’ I was super happy to do that.
Collins added that there were “a lot of people who were super drunk,” which she said further contributed to a noisy atmosphere.
The 31-year-old was also booed throughout her on-court interview after beating Australian Aiava, the world number 165 who made it through qualifying, but continued to cheer the crowd on.
“You know, I was thinking during the game,” she told the crowd, “I was like, ‘Hmm, if I’m here, I might as well take this big paycheck.’ We love five-star vacations, so part of this check goes toward that.
“So thank you guys, thank you for coming out here and supporting us tonight,” she added to another chorus of boos.
Collins will receive 290,000 Australian dollars ($180,000) for reaching the third round and joked that “it’s all going to the Danielle Collins fund.”
She added: “One of the greatest things about being a professional athlete is that the people who don’t like you and the people who hate you pay your bills. »
“It’s quite a cool concept. My professional career is not going to last forever, so I remind myself every day that when I have things like this (the crowd against it), they are the ones who pay my bills.
“Me and my group of girlfriends love five-star vacations. I can guarantee that this check will go toward our next five-star trip, hopefully to the Bahamas.
“We love boats, we love big boats, we love yachts, so we’ll talk about it and let you know how it goes.”
Collins, who has postponed her retirement until late 2024, will face compatriot and No. 19 seed Madison Keys in the third round on Saturday.
The two-time NCAA champion initially retired due to a number of health issues, including rheumatoid arthritis and endometriosis, and her desire to start a family.
10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic told reporters he was a “big fan” of Collins’ reaction after engaging in his own back-and-forth with a particularly vocal member from the crowd during his third round victory against Tomáš. Macháč Friday.
“I loved his response. I loved it. Everything she said on the field, off the field. Big Danielle Collins fan after that. I was before. But now? Big fan. I love it,” the 37-year-old said.
“I’ve heard comments from people saying she shouldn’t have said this or that. I think she handled the situation very well. I don’t think I would be that polite, and I know that feeling exactly. So I think she was funny, intelligent.
“Just a huge fan of what she did. Big fan.
Friday at the Australian Open, Naomi Osaka was forced to retire during her third round match against Belinda Bencic.
Osaka led 5-2 in the first set before starting to suffer from another apparent abdominal injury, allowing Bencic to come back and win the set on a tiebreak.
Osaka, who also withdrew from the ASB Classic final in Auckland last week due to an abdominal injury, received treatment during the match but was ultimately forced to withdraw.