Description
American tennis star Danielle Collins blasted the Australian Open crowd as being 'super drunk' as celebrated victory over home hopeful Destanee Aiava. Collins cupped her hand to her ear and blew kisses to the crowd after beating the Australian qualifier 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 in the second round of the women's singles event. The American was then seen slapping her backside before rounding on home fans for booing her in a post-match interview. ‘During the match I was like, while I’m out here I might as well take that big fat paycheck,' Collins said while being booed in her on-court interview. ‘We love a five-star vacation, so a big part of that will go towards that. ‘So thank you guys, thanks for coming out here and supporting us tonight. Thank you guys, love you.’ The American, the tournament 10th seed, doubled down in another interview courtside. Collins, who made the Australian Open final back in 2022, has already scooped £147,000 ($180,000/AU$290,000) in prize money by reaching the third round. The 31-year-old, who reversed her decision to retire at the end of last season, doubled down on her comments in her press conference. Collins said: 'Well I'm going to be here for two hours, putting up with all these people, I might as well take the bigger paycheck, right?' 'I was super happy to do that and one of the greatest things about being a professional athlete is that the people that don't like you and that hate you, they acy your bills. 'It's kind of a cool concept and obviously, my professional career is not going to last forever and I just remind myself every day when I have that kind of stuff that they're paying my bills. 'Every person that has bought a ticket and has come out here to heckle me can do what they do. It's all going towards the Danielle Collins fund. So like, yeah, bring it on I love it.' When asked about her holiday plans, Collins expressed a desire to have a luxury trip to the Bahamas. 'Me and my girlfriends love a five-star holiday so I can guarantee that the next check is going to go towards a five-star trip, hopefully to the Bahamas. 'We like boats. Big boats. We like yachts. Yeah, we'll post about it and let you guys know how it goes.' Collins's decision to hit back at the Australian crowd was slammed by some on social media. 'Does Danielle Collins not realize she is playing an Australian in Australia?' one post read. 'What does she expect the crowd to do? They're going to support the home player, get over it. 'Zero class from Collins tonight'. Another added 'Danielle Collins. Through to the next round without a semblance of class.' Collins will now face an all-American match against Madison Keys in the third round of the tournament.