Danielle Collins on Jimmy Connors’ podcast: "I don’t care if it comes off as cocky and arrogant"

Danielle Collins was the guest on the latest episode of Jimmy Connors' podcast, "Advantage with Connors," which he co-hosts with his son Brett. The world No. 11 is preparing for her US Open debut next Tuesday against fellow American Caroline Dolehide (No. 48).

In the interview with the Grand Slam champion, 'Danimal' was asked about the strong personality she displays on the court: “I am just really all about trying to be my authentic self. No matter how that comes off, there are gonna be times I’m really happy, bubbly, and high, and then there are times where I’m gonna be in a bad mood,” she explained.

The American No. 3 was recently involved in a controversy during her match against Iga Swiatek at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The first tense moment occurred when Collins hit a powerful backhand at Swiatek's body, striking her in the stomach. Later in the match, Swiatek took a toilet break, which angered Collins due to the time the Polish player took to return to the court.

Swiatek eventually won the match after Collins retired in the third set, with the world No. 1 leading 6-1, 2-6, 4-1. The American, visibly upset, made some comments that took Swiatek by surprise. Collins later explained in the press conference: “There’s a lot that happens off-camera, and there are a lot of people with a ton of charisma who come out and act one way on camera and another way in the locker room,” said Collins after the match. “I just haven’t had the best experience, and I don’t really feel like anybody needs to be insincere. They can be the way they are. I can accept that, but I don’t need the fakeness,” she added.

The 2024 Miami Open champion explained during the podcast that she simply tries to stay true to herself during matches and doesn’t care much about what others think: “I like to make my matches like a performance, and if I were, kind of, more robotic, keeping it to myself, I wouldn’t be true to myself,” the former world No. 8 said. “I would be trying to be something that I’m not, and I don’t think that would be fair to me or the people who are watching.”

“I’m very focused on what I’m doing, and I don’t care what other people think. I don’t care if it comes off as cocky and arrogant to some fan who hasn’t played tennis, who hasn’t walked in my shoes, who hasn’t gone through the life experiences that I have,” she added.

“(Since I was little) I was taught to put it all out there. If I was upset, I could be upset,” she said. “As long as I’m doing my job, as long as I’m not hurting other people, and as long as I’m trying my best, that’s all that matters, and I think that has really helped me a lot as an adult, being this way.”

The American also spoke about the importance of her relationship with her boyfriend Bryan in maintaining her competitive spirit in the later stages of her career: “My boyfriend has been so supportive. He’s from Boston, and he’s a pretty gritty person. He has encouraged me to be myself constantly and to put my heart out there, and I feel like having that encouragement has been huge,” Collins said.

Bryan is a former athlete who played football at Columbia University in New York. He graduated in engineering and is currently the vice president of the biotechnology company Revvity. “We have been going out for a while now. We met at a coffee shop in London, so that was pretty exciting. I didn’t think I would meet someone at a coffee shop. Who would have thought? Just after Wimbledon,” the former Australian Open runner-up added.

“He didn’t know anything about tennis, and he didn’t know I was a tennis player, which was really nice. He was actually a bigger fan of golf, so he said, ‘Well, I really like golf. I don’t really know much about tennis.’ And I was like, ‘Yes! That’s so exciting.’”