"They're paying my bills": Danielle Collins revels in pantomime villain role with message to Australian Open hecklers
WTA
Danielle Collins made headlines for her win over Destenee Aiava 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 for her reaction to the crowd blowing kisses and going full Hulk Hogan mode as she put her hand to her ear at the Australian Open.
But the message from Collins is simple that those paying to heckle her are paying her bills whether they like it or not and that it all goes towards the Danielle Collins fund while she is still playing.
"I loved it. I've been doing this my whole life. I love playing in a crowd that has energy, regardless of what side they're on," Collins said.
"I'm somebody, too – it kind of just motivates me even more. So it's kind of a good thing, especially when I'm not playing that well.
"So I think it really helped me in the end. Just helped me concentrate more and challenged me at times. Just pushed me through the finish line.
"In the end when I finally got momentum, I'm like: 'Well, if I'm going to be out here for two-and-a-half hours, putting up with all these people, I might as well just take the bigger paycheck, right?'
"I was super happy to do that. One of the greatest things about being a professional athlete is the people that don't like you and the people that hate you, they actually pay your bills. It's kind of a cool concept.
"Obviously my professional career is not going to last forever. So I just remind myself every day when I have that kind of stuff, they're paying my bills.
"Every person that's bought a ticket to come out here and heckle me or do what they do, it's all going towards the Danielle Collins Fund. Yeah, bring it on. I love it."
'You're paying my bills' is the simple retort to hecklers from Collins
But while she revels in being the pantomime villain, Collins does get why people don't want her to win but also at the same time said she loves it either way.
"Look, Destanee is from here. I think they really wanted her to win," she said. "I think there were a lot of people that were super drunk and had a hard time controlling themselves and were really excited. I think, too, they wanted to continue to see a good, long, hard match.
"But yeah, I mean, look, I'm from a different country, here competing against someone that's from here. Ultimately it was a pretty cool environment, I thought. Even though it was pretty rowdy, this girl loves it."
Danielle Collins says the best thing about being a professional athlete is that the people that hate her pay her bills:
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 16, 2025
“Every person that bought a ticket to come heckle me, it's all going towards the Danielle Collins Fund. Bring it on.” 😂
pic.twitter.com/3bICBAYSLb
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