There are few places in tennis where the noise is louder than the US Open. But for Danielle Collins, one of the sport’s most outspoken personalities, this year offers an opportunity to step back from the chaos.
‘I feel like when you’re competing, you’re so locked in on what you’re doing day to day, trying to get yourself in the best shape to perform well during the Open,’ she tells the Daily Mail in a coffee shop in Manhattan days before the start of the final Grand Slam of the year.
This year, she’s back in a different capacity, focusing on community engagements and involvement in the many brand activations taking place at this time of year. She’s taken a year off and, at 32, she remains non-committal on her future.
‘Right now, I’ve just been kind of enjoying tennis in a different capacity and taking it day by day,’ she says. She’s already U-turned once on retirement, playing on in 2025 after a career-year in 2024, and is not willing at this stage to say this is the end.
‘You know, I had a pretty bad back injury at the end of last year, so was rehabbing that a lot this first half of the year, really up until the summer.
‘And as I’ve spoken about, I had frozen my eggs. So it just takes time, and I think taking it one step at a time and seeing what the future holds.’
Danielle Collins is not playing and is enjoying the US Open in a different capacity this year
Collins is one the WTA Tour’s biggest characters and is not afraid to showcase her personality
Collins has been able to travel the world thanks to her career as a professional tennis player
Collins’ absence from the US Open draw is a notable one given her status as one of the sport’s most bold and brash characters. Her passionate on-court demeanor has divided opinion, making her one of the most entertaining players on tour.
She became public enemy No 1 at the Australian Open after cupping her ears, blowing kisses to the fans, slapping her backside and commenting on her ‘big, fat pay check’ after knocking out home player Destanee Aiava last year. Collins always wears her heart on her sleeve.
Love her or hate her, most people have an opinion on her, and that is something the 32-year-old is comfortable accepting, giving herself grace even for the moments she is not particularly proud of.
‘You can never please everyone, right?’ she says. ‘And It’s not my responsibility how people perceive me. To me, it’s really important to just be genuine to who I am and to be authentic.
‘I do think a lot of genuine and authentic people – you can get punished for that, right? People want you to be that way, but then if you’re too genuine and authentic, they’re like, “Well, I don’t like that,” you know. So you’re never gonna please anyone, no matter what you do in life.
‘I feel like I’ve been very confident in that way. I can accept that. And at the end of the day, all I can try to do is be the best person I can be, but also recognize that yeah, I have some shortcomings every now and then.
‘I know I have things that I have to work on too, and I can go home and work on those things and reflect and just try to do better. But I try to be really gentle with myself too, because I think we all can be hard on ourselves.
‘I can kind of say, “okay, I’m a human. things happen”. You see things and you’re like…”Wait, did I say that?” but I think just remembering that, because I think sometimes other people forget that you’re human too.
‘I think that barrier between the screen and the other person, people can lose that sense that you’re also a human, and that you make mistakes, or that you don’t always get it right. I try not to dwell on it. Try not to overthink it.’
Collins became public enemy No.1 at the Australian Open after she goaded the crowd
Collins, who reached the Australian Open final in 2022, wears her heart on her sleeve
Collins never looks back and gives herself grace for her passionate on-court outbursts
Speaking the day after Dolly Parton’s death, she points to one of the singer’s famous quotes about having no regrets. ‘I live by the words of Dolly,’ Collins says with a smile.
‘I try to just stay present and take it one day at a time, and get to enjoy the moments,’ she adds. ‘I think if you look too far back on things, good or bad, you don’t want to be looking behind yourself. I always like to say that everything’s in front of you.’
Generally, Collins likes to look ahead, but this time away from tennis has been an opportunity to look back and reflect on everything the sport has given her, beyond the relentless cycle of wins and losses.
‘When I look back on my career, I feel like I’ve gotten to do a lot of cool things, from going to the Olympics to playing in all the Grand Slams,’ she reflects. ‘Those were all things that I dreamt of doing as a kid. Like playing on Centre Court at Wimbledon, right?
‘I feel like I’ve been able to go to places in the world that I couldn’t have even dreamt of. Growing up as a kid, I really focused on the Grand Slams. But through the tour, I was able to go to additional places. I never thought that I would get to go to a place like Saudi Arabia and to get to experience a whole new culture, to get to see that part of the world, and to be a part of something like that was really cool.
‘That’s one of the things I feel like I’m most proud about, throughout my career, is the traveling that I’ve gotten to do and the human side, the connections, the friendships that I’ve built.
‘Just getting to be introduced to so many different cultures and ideas. I went to college too, but that’s been the best education for me. I feel like I’d tell anybody, no matter what you do, try and travel, see the world. It’s such an amazing experience. That’s been my favorite part of my career.’
What tennis has given Collins is beyond her wildest dreams having grown up in ‘humble beginnings,’ the daughter of a landscaper and preschool teacher in Florida. She wouldn’t be where she is today without grassroots programs that made high-level coaching accessible at a young age, which is why she has found a new kind of purpose in community work.
Collins grew up in ‘humble beginnings’ but rose as high as No.7 in the world rankings
Collins said she planned to retire at the end of 2024 but played on after a memorable season
‘It feels like I’m doing something really meaningful and impactful,’ she says. ‘Helping kids like myself who have dreams and aspirations and want to do something really special with their career. If I can help in any way harness that passion for the game, I can get behind that, and that’s something I feel like these last couple months.
‘That sense of community has brought me a lot of joy.’
It is no surprise, then, that she is concerned over the rising cost of the US Open, with ticket prices hitting resale sites at huge mark-ups raising concerns about the accessibility of the star-studded event.
‘I think it’s really important that tennis builds an inclusive community, that’s accessible to everyone,’ Collins says. ‘That’s what makes sports so special, is not just a certain group of people that only have access to it.
‘And I think in prior years, that’s where US Open was really unique, having it being one of the biggest cities in the world. You get fans that are from here, fans that fly in for the event, and you want to keep tennis being accessible and community oriented.
‘I think if they price it out too much, it becomes harder for everyday fans to be able to have access to the event. But it also seems like maybe those second-hand ticket prices have something to do with that as well.’
Even though she isn’t bringing her bold personality to the court this year, Collins is still trying to bring some fun to the US Open, including firing tennis balls at a massive Fresca Hard billboard and hitting around with fans at a live activation in New York.
‘I’m a bold personality with a little bit of attitude,’ she says. ‘And I think the drink also offers a little bit of that, and so this was all about getting to have fun, connect with other people that love tennis, and really just focus on the fun side of it.
‘I feel like we don’t use the F word enough, not the not the F word you’re thinking of, the fun word, and that’s what that’s the thing that makes tennis enjoyable, right? Is having fun, getting people together, just having a good time.’
Collins spoke to the Daily Mail after a brand activation for Fresca Hard in New York
She has moved into TV during her time away from playing, a move she always had in her mind
Collins’ personality has also taken her to TV screens during her year away from playing, working with The Tennis Channel, a natural step after majoring in Media Studies at the University of Virginia.
‘That was always kind of in the back of my mind,’ she says. After years of intense focus in an individual sport, she’s discovered a new side to the sport in a team environment.
‘That camaraderie has been something I’ve really enjoyed. I feel like when we’re getting to cover tennis, you get to enjoy the game rather than working towards the goal.
‘When you’re on court, it’s more performance oriented. Physically, mentally. Obviously, I have to do my preparation on the matches for TV, but I love just getting to enjoy the matches, getting to watch good tennis.’
She is passionate about teaching people about the game, honing in on her own experiences growing up and considering the information and stats she would have wanted to hear. And perhaps unsurprisingly given her own story, she’s passionate on shining a light on the people behind the tennis players.
‘I try to apply that when I go into the commentating booth’ she says. ‘To give insight to maybe somebody who isn’t an everyday tennis fan, but teach people about tennis and hopefully help them grow their love for the game.
‘It’s all about bringing fans and everybody into the sport and keeping it fun. Not just about tennis all the time. Talking about the different personalities, talking about the players’ interests, their stories, and really using like that platform that I have to talk about the players and share their stories.
‘I think that’s probably the coolest thing about tennis, it isn’t just what happens on the tennis court. I think all these players are so uniquely different. They come from so many different countries and cultures, and there’s so much depth there. So being able to get into that, I think, is really cool.’
