“Part of being a performer is playing with those emotions”: Danielle Collins discusses her emotional approach to tennis

Danielle Collins spoke about her passionate style of play in an interview ahead of the US Open. The world No. 11 will debut against Caroline Dolehide (No. 48) in what will be her last appearance in a Grand Slam main draw, after announcing her retirement at the end of the season in March this year.

The 30-year-old American found her best form in 2024, stringing together 14 consecutive wins and winning her first WTA 1000 title at the Miami Open, followed by a victory at the WTA 500 Charleston. Collins began the year ranked world No. 54 and has recently broken into the top-10, currently sitting 6th in the Race, with a strong chance of qualifying for the WTA Finals for the first time.

The former Australian Open finalist will be competing in her 28th Grand Slam main draw, with a 39-27 record so far, and her best results coming at the Australian Open, where she reached the final in 2022 and the semifinals in 2019. At the US Open, she holds a 7-8 record, with her best result being a fourth-round appearance in 2022 (losing to Aryna Sabalenka).

‘Danimal’ was the latest guest this week on the Tennis Insider Club podcast, where she talked about the beginnings of her career and opened up about her unique personality on and off the court: “I’m an aggressive player and it’s just aggressive all around, right?” she said.

“I feel like people are very taken aback by the power and stuff,” Collins said. “Cause it’s a lot, and sometimes it’s a lot for me to handle it. Sometimes I’m like, ‘wow, maybe if I slowed this down a bit, you know, I’d be able to think for a second,’” she said, laughing.

The former world No. 8 added how important it is for her to show her emotions to deliver better performances on the court: “One of the things that so many non-athletes don’t understand about performance, and I’m not even talking about sports performance, like whatever it is you’re doing, I think part of being a good performer is playing with passion and doing what you do with passion, and the way you demonstrate passion is through outward emotion.”

“I just really wear my heart on my sleeve and I think it’s really true to be authentic to yourself. I know that for me to be successful, I have to play with that emotion and that passion, it’s just my ‘persona,’ and I think that if I wasn’t playing tennis, I feel like I’d be the same way. Part of being a performer is playing with those emotions and going out there and not being afraid to be authentic.”