Audiences in Melbourne booed her
Tennis star provokes fans with butt cheers
January 16, 2025 – 10:23 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
When she wins the match, the fans boo. This upsets Danielle Collins so much that she makes a provocative gesture. And then followed up verbally.
This victory tasted bittersweet for her. US tennis professional Danielle Collins caused a stir on and off the court at the Australian Open. After her hard-fought second-round victory over local hero Destanee Aiava (7:6, 4:6, 6:2), the American took on the home crowd – and caused plenty of discussion.
After 2:25 hours of play, Collins converted her second match point and responded to the boos in the Show Court Arena with provocative gestures. The 31-year-old blew sarcastic kisses to the audience, who had been hoping for a victory for the home underdog, put her hand to her ear and asked: “What do you say now?” Then she stretched her butt backwards and slapped it. During the subsequent on-site interview, she also let the audience feel her anger, accompanied by a broad smile.
“During the game I thought, since I’m here, I might as well take the big paycheck with me,” Collins explained in the interview, noting smugly that she didn’t let the boos bother her.
With a view to her next opponent, the American Madison Keys, Collins was briefly conciliatory, but couldn’t resist another attack on the audience. At the end of her interview, she grabbed the microphone again and shouted: “Thanks, guys. Love you!”
At the press conference, the tenth in the world rankings, who is always prone to emotional outbursts, continued her provocative line. “The best thing about being a professional athlete is that the people who don’t like you or hate you actually pay your bills,” Collins said. “Every person who purchased a ticket, everything goes to the Danielle Collins Fund.”
The American thanked the fans again ironically: “Coco (tennis colleague and friend Coco Vandeweghe, editor’s note) and I love a good five-star vacation. So part of this check will be used for that. Thank you, People!”
Collins and the Australian audience will probably no longer be friends.