Danielle Collins is in her final tennis playing year. However, she has no plans to be someone who will be nice even in the face of heckling. She is currently playing in the Madrid Open and beat Jaqueline Cristian after a tough three-set battle. Celebration followed after the win, but during the clash, Collins became hostile to a heckler. 

The American faced a tough trial after losing the first set and served for the third game in the second set after 1-1. When the third game landed at a deuce, Collins found herself the subject of jeering when she prepared to step up to the baseline. She did not stay quiet and replied to the fan in the audience, “You come out here and play. You do what I do. Okay, have a little more respect.“

Tennis Channel shared a video of the moment on their Instagram page, and several tennis stars lauded Collins for her reaction with the caption, “Danielle Collins let this heckler know 🗣️“. Coco Gauff wrote, “period 💅🏾” and found a rhythm in her reply when she said, “muah 💋 no bars.” Gauff was accompanied by former player and current commentator Jelena Dokic, who commented, “Good on you @danimalcollins 👏“. Former American player Ryan Harrison said, “Damn right Danimal! 💪🏼“.

Collins’ response to the heckler was met with applause from the rest of the audience in the stadium and support from several tennis stars. She is a player who is not shy about confrontation and wears her heart on her sleeve. Although she found support, Danielle Collins also faced backlash from many tennis fans, who did not find her words appropriate.

Fans not amused with the interaction between Danielle Collins and rowdy fan

Despite the heckling, Collins was able to use the incident as motivation for her comeback. She managed to win the second set and then breadsticked her Romanian opponent in the third set, sending her packing. Despite the great victory, many couldn’t help but speak out against her behavior when she lashed out. One fan suggested she retire promptly due to the rage exhibited.

A user was straightforward in their opinion of her and said, “Can’t stand her“. Before the results came about, one user said that she better win the match after taking a big deal. One user said that Collins demanding respect was hilarious as she once told Maria Sakkari to “Shut your mouth“. Another user came in fuming as they wrote Collins and respect do not go together and that they would have told her to “STFU and concentrate on your game“.

Which side would you take in this situation? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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