WTA players consistently serve up phenomenal tennis. Yet behind every powerful forehand, they battle challenges that most fans never see. Danielle Collins refuses to stay silent. She fights for what’s right. Collins has tackled issues like financial literacy for players, a critical concern given how quickly a pro career can pass. She isn’t shy about the grind of the WTA schedule or the sometimes intrusive media and fan attention. For Collins, tennis players are people first—not just entertainers. Now, she’s bravely sharing a darker side of the job.
On Wednesday, Collins spoke out on the ‘Reign’ podcast. She shared her experiences with misogyny when asserting herself and has called out unacceptable behavior from some men in the sport. Her words hit hard: “When we respond to someone’s poor behavior, it’s our reaction that’s treated like the offense itself. It’s almost like you don’t have a right to respond. People just… they don’t get it. They don’t get what we go through.” Then the American recounted one incident from her early days on tour that still stings.
She said, “When I first got on tour and I was dealing with a cameraman who was very persistent. I lost the long three-set match, came off the court, and was kind of cramping and tired and all of these things were happening. This guy goes, ‘Oh Danielle, you know, I’m so sorry, can I give you a hug?’ I look at my coach and I’m like, ‘Uh, sure.’ She goes in to hug me and all of a sudden he goes in to kiss me! And I’m like, ‘Oh no!’ He literally starts making out with the side of my face.”
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She made her WTA Tour main-draw debut at just 20, as a wildcard at the 2014 US Open. It’s unclear if this happened then, but she’s seen a decade’s worth of tennis and its backstage drama. She even retired briefly last year to focus on starting a family. Yet after battling endometriosis, she picked up her racket again. However, she’s faced her fair share of backlash for her behavior on court.
Danielle Collins is never shy when it comes to calling things as she sees them. Take her match against Emma Raducanu at the Internationaux de Strasbourg in May—Collins didn’t hesitate for a second when a cameraman decided to get a little too close for comfort during a changeover. Captured by The Tennis Letter on X, she said: “I need to get water. We’re on a changeover. You don’t need to be that close to me & you don’t need to be on top of Emma. It’s wildly inappropriate.” Collins has made it clear, both on and off the court, that she won’t be muted.
She later explained, “I think to be good at anything, self-expression is really important. There’s not too many successful people in the world that feel like they can’t be themselves. I think you have to be yourself, and I’m a competitor at the end of the day. I’m not meek and mild.” Some fans might not love that bold honesty, but Collins? She’s not one to back down and this isn’t the first time she’s pulled back the curtain on what really happens behind the scenes.
Danielle Collins speaks up on hypocrisy in the sport
In March, after the disturbing news about stalkers targeting Emma Raducanu in Dubai and Mirra Andreeva, Collins didn’t hold back. She told tennis journalist David Kane, “Female athletes deal with a whole set of unique challenges that are different from what male athletes deal with. That’s not political; that’s just a fact. I don’t think we’re in a society where it’s embraced for us to stick up for ourselves, or wear our hearts on our sleeves, or play with emotions. I still think that it’s frowned upon if we display feelings of being upset or having a moment of passion on the court.”
Earlier in January, during the Australian Open, Collins made her comeback after retirement and wasted no time turning heads. In her second-round bout with Aussie hope Destanee Aiava, she fed off the jeers from the crowd, blowing kisses and cupping her ear. She even pointed to her backside after sealing the win, making the rowdy Melbourne crowd buzz with every move. The American owned the role of “villain,” and if fans tried to rattle her, they just fueled her even more.
On-court antics weren’t all Danielle Collins dished out that week. After a tough loss to Madison Keys, she delivered a post-match zinger for the ages: “One of the greatest things about being a professional athlete is that the people who don’t like you and the people that hate you—they actually pay your bills.” She doubled down during a mic-drop interview, joking, “Yeah, bring it on. I love it. Me and my group of girlfriends love a five-star vacation. I can guarantee you that cheque is going to go towards our next five-star trip, hopefully to the Bahamas.”
So, is the drama going anywhere? Not a chance. Collins has made it clear—love her or hate her, she’s going to keep raising her voice.
The post “He Goes In to Kiss Me!” – American Grand Slam Finalist Reveals Horrifying Truth About Misogyny Against WTA Icons appeared first on EssentiallySports.