Andy
Roddick is impressed by
Danielle Collins' level of play and showers her with
praise ahead of her debut at the
Madrid Open. The world No. 15 recently enjoyed
a streak of 15 consecutive victories, clinching her first WTA 1000 title at the
Miami Open and then winning the WTA 500
Charleston Open before reaching the
round of 16 at the Madrid Open, where she fell to Aryna Sabalenka.
Despite
her loss in Madrid, the 30-year-old American showcased extraordinary tennis in
her recent appearances, defeating players like Elena Rybakina, Ons Jabeur,
Caroline Garcia, Maria Sakkari, Paula Badosa, and Daria Kasatkina, all in
straight sets.
The
special energy of Collins on the court
The
former Australian Open finalist announced a couple of months ago that she will
retire from tennis at the end of the season despite showing the best tennis of
her career: "I try to play like an animal out there. It’s like I think
rock and roll when I go on the court, try to bring the heat," she said a
few weeks ago.
The
former world No. 1 Andy Roddick commented on the different vibe Collins has
every time she steps onto the court: "It’s like you don’t have to be a
diehard tennis fan to understand her vibe to understand that there’s like this
primal aggression inside of this. You know, awesome you know, woman just taking
cuts and everything," said Roddick.
“There’s
it’s not like there’s this like, subtlety It’s like she is going to walk up and
throw haymakers like and it’s just it’s fun I mean, so I get it,” the 2003 US
Open champion added in his podcast Served with Roddick.
Collins at 2024 Miami Open
"Danimal" is a tennis
player who lives the game intensely, and on the court, she doesn't hesitate to
show her character. Recently, in her third-round match at the Madrid Open
against
Jaqueline Cristian, she didn't hesitate to confront a fan by shouting,
"You come out in here and play, you do what I do, okay? Have a little more
respect."
Collins' next challenge is at the
Rome Open, where she
will debut in the second round as the 13th seed against
Anna Blinkova. The
Russian arrived at the Foro Italico after four consecutive first-round defeats
but had a good debut against
Diane Parry, defeating her 6-2, 6-3.