United Cup: Danielle Collins Turns “Delulu” as She Randomly Remembers Past In Hilarious Moment With Coco Gauff and Others

It’s a party in the USA team! From laughter-filled interviews to dominant wins on the court, Team USA is having a blast at the 2025 United Cup. Their stellar campaign continues as they punched their ticket to the semifinals with a clean sweep over China in Perth. And last week, Danielle Collins also joined them. Taylor Fritz set the tone with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over China’s Zhizhen Zhang, and Coco Gauff followed up by beating Shuai Zhang 7-6 (4), 6-2. The mixed doubles pair of Desirae Krawczyk and Robert Galloway wrapped things up with a thrilling 6-3, 6-7 (1), 10-3 win against Zhang and Fajing Sun. But the real magic lies in the team’s camaraderie.

Their recent press conference after their quarterfinals match was full of chaos.

In one such interview, Desirae Krawczyk was funnily asked about finally stepping onto the court after years of being a “cheerleader.” She responded with her trademark humor, saying, “It’s on my résumé.” Reflecting on her mixed doubles win, she added, “It was a little dicey in the beginning, but we got through after sitting on the bench for a few hours.”

Then came the curveball.

Danielle Collins interrupted with a random memory, “Didn’t at Super Nationals when we were juniors, didn’t you say it was your dream to be a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader? That was somebody else. Sorry, sorry, guys.”

Desirae quickly shut it down with a laugh, quipping, “Danielle is ‘delulu’ right now. It’s a little late.” Coco Gauff, trying to keep things on track, chimed in, “What is going on? That was not on topic at all.”

The playful chaos summed up the team’s dynamic perfectly—competitive on the court, hilarious off it.

The bond between the players has grown stronger since their successful run as Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Reflecting on their reunion, Danielle Collins shared her excitement: “Yeah, I mean, after the Olympics, we just had to get the fam back together. We had a good run there and had a great time with the same crew. It was a no-brainer after talking to everybody about coming back this year and kicking it off here in Perth.”

The 31-year-old breezed through to the event’s quarterfinal; however, her success was short-lived, as she bowed out to Polish Iga Swiatek after sustaining an abdominal injury.

Well, Danielle Collins’ presence in Perth is a story in itself. The American tennis player had actually hung up her racket in 2024.

Danielle Collins reverses retirement plans and resumes ‘DANIMAL’ story

At the start of 2024, Danielle Collins announced her plans to retire at the end of the season. After a three-set loss to Iga Swiatek at the Australian Open, she announced her decision to say goodbye to tennis as she had plans to start a family.

Even after her retirement, she delivered some of the best tennis of her career. In March, the 2022 Australian Open finalist claimed her first 1000-level title at the Miami Open and followed it up with a victory at Charleston. By the end of the season, she was ranked No. 11.

But in October 2024, Collins surprised fans by reversing her retirement decision. In a heartfelt Instagram post, she shared, “The DANIMAL story has not reached its conclusion.” She cited ongoing struggles with endometriosis and her fertility journey as factors in her decision to keep playing. “While there are no guarantees in life, I hope to build on my 2024 momentum and keep playing until there is more certainty around my personal fertility journey,” she wrote.

Now back in action, Collins and Team USA are focused on the task ahead. They’ll face either Italy or the Czech Republic in the semifinals, with Kazakhstan or Poland waiting in the final. Will they be able to clinch the trophy?