Danielle Collins says the best thing about being a professional athlete is that the people who stalk her pay her bills and said the abuse helped her win her second-round match at the Australian Open.
The 31-year-old was seen blowing kisses to the Melbourne Park crowd and putting a hand to her ear after beating Australian qualifier Destanee Aiava 7-6 4-6 6-2 in the women's singles.
Collins postponed her retirement from tennis due to 'fertility issues' due to endometriosis at the end of last season and the 10th seed in the tournament.
“One of the biggest things about being a professional athlete is that the people who don't like you and the people who hate you, they actually pay your bills,” Collins said.
“It's a cool concept. Obviously, my professional career won't last forever. So I remind myself every day when I have things like that to pay my bills.
“Every single person that bought a ticket to come here and prank me or do what they do, it all goes towards the Danielle Collins fund.
Collins blew kisses to the partisan crowd after defeating Aiava, saying the heckles helped her win the match
“Me and my group of girlfriends love a five star vacation. I can guarantee you the check will go towards our next five star trip, hopefully to the Bahamas.
“We love big boats, we love yachts. We'll post about it and let you know how it goes.”
Collins: The audience motivates me even more
After celebrating her victory over Aiava, the last Australian woman out of the draw, in two hours and 25 minutes, Collins told the crowd: “How about that?”.
In the press conference that followed, she spoke of being motivated by the partisan crowd at the Kia Arena, which firmly supported Aiava throughout the match.
“I loved it. I've been doing this my whole life,” Collins added.
“I like to play in a crowd that has energy, no matter what side they're on.
“It only motivates me more. So that's a good thing, especially when I'm not playing that well.
Danielle Collins reacts after defeating home favorite Destanee Aiava in her second round match at the Australian Open
“So I think in the end it really helped me, it helped me focus more and sometimes it challenged me and pushed me through the finish line.
“And I was really happy when I finally got the momentum going. I'm like, 'Well, if I'm going to be here for two and a half hours, putting up with all these people, I might as well get paid more, right?' I was super happy to do it.”
Collins rejects claims of a tactical medical timeout
Collins was forced to take a medical time-out when her opponent was about to serve for the set at 5-2 and dismissed suggestions it would deny Aiava.
“Of course they're going to say that. It was very obvious that I was struggling to get my legs on my serve,” said Collins, who was taking medication during a timeout.
Collins shook Aiava's hand after her 7-6 4-6 6-2 win in Melbourne
“I missed a lot of serves. I had to compensate a lot because every time I put my foot into flexion, I did this weird thing with my back leg.
“Honestly, I missed a lot of serves because of it. I also had difficulty pushing out of corners.
“It got to the point where I had to get help with it and get some anti-inflammatories. It flared up during Adelaide.
“Since then I haven't had any pain from it and all of a sudden, I think because of my hitting I had to have help with it. It just got progressively worse.”
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