Danielle Collins: A Champion for the Underdogs - Issue #19

Despite facing much adversity, Danielle Collins has a Grand Slam Final and career high ranking of #7 to her name. Unafraid and unapologetic, Danielle is a champion for the underdogs.

Written by Dove Sallow

When looking at Danielle Collins, what do you see? Danielle Collins has been called many things over the past 6 years. Feisty. Arrogant. Competitive. Unapologetic. Aggressive. The word that comes to my mind when thinking of the 29 year-old Florida native is fearless. Considering the fact that she turned professional in 2016, it's safe to say that she's taken the long road in comparison to the majority of players on the WTA Tour, with many of them turning professional as teenagers. Danielle is the epitome of what it means to achieve the "American Dream". Coming from a middle-class family and knowing she needed a backup plan, she took the college route. Her road to the tour says a lot about the player she is today. Collins had no major backing behind her. If she had recieved the type of support for her career that many of her peers did, I believe she'd be number 1 in the world by now. Collins was not the USTA's first choice. She still regularly trains on public courts with a ball machine to this day. So how did she rise to number 7 in the world, reach the Australian Open final, and become a household name? The answer is quite simple. It's apparent in the way she talks, the way she competes, and in how she faces adversity. Danielle Collins believed in herself when no one else did.

To understand Danielle Collins, you first must have a general understanding of college tennis. The atmosphere is rowdy and in-your-face. Playing for the University of Virgina is where Danielle found her voice as a tennis player. She won the NCAA title in singles both as a sophomore and as a senior. The American also won the Honda Sports Award in 2016 and finished her collegiate career as the top-ranked player. Collins will be the first to tell you that she was not a Coco Gauff-level teenage prodigy and that she really needed her time playing collegiately to develop.

"I think not being a superstar at a young age certainly humbled me... made me work harder for things. I was talented and athletic, but maybe not to the level that other players were at like 14, 15, 16. Not being a child prodigy, I went a different route. I wasn't sure if I could make it playing professional tennis when I was that age. Going to college was really crucial for me and my development. I think it's made me hungrier," Collins said to ESPN.

Danielle did not just do well in the college tennis environment - she thrived. She harnessed an aggressive game style that was capable of outhitting anybody. She learned how to compete in ways that perhaps some of her current peers did not. Collins learned how to be in-your-face and fiery. She engages in psychological warfare whenever she takes the court and I absolutely love it. Tennis should not just be a physical war; it should be a mental one as well. Danielle understands this better than anyone.

Danielle has accumulated fans as well as haters. She has been wrongfully accused of being a bad sport, too loud, and arrogant. When I watch this young woman compete, I don't see any of that. Collins is powerful and unafraid. She's not scared of anyone she faces on the other side of the net, nor is she afraid of her own abilities. Many of the qualities that are applauded in men's tennis are the same qualities Collins possesses that many try to tear her down for. When Rafa hits a winner, runs up to the net and gives a flying fist pump while simultaneously staring his opponent dead in the eyes, he is met with standing ovations and cheers of delight. When Novak Djokovic roars "Idemo!" In his native language, with a look bred of fire and rage, sent directly to the other side of the net, he is also met with applause. And to further the discussion, when Djokovic yells at his camp in anger, or when Nick Kyrgios obliterates his racquet for the 100th time on a grand stage, fans seem to enjoy it. They give them a free pass and almost appreciate them more for expressing their emotions. But when Danielle sends a fist pump and a loud "Come on!" In her opponents direction, she is labeled as obnoxious. This is wrong on many levels. For starters, I believe emoting on court is a positive thing, for both men and women, that should be applauded either way. When Collins fires herself up and is met with criticism while her male counterparts (many of which behave horribly) are idolized as heroes, I see that as a flaw in our society. Sexism has had a deep hold on this country, but has finally made strides in the right direction. But sexism in sports is something that still isn't talked about enough. Entering 2023, there should be no double standard of how a woman is allowed to compete at the highest level of a sport while still being respected and admired for everything she's capable of.

Collins' game is now known as something to be feared on the WTA tour. She hits the ball harder than most everyone on tour (apart from Sabalenka, Kvitova, and Ostapenko), and has the best backhand among current players. There are many great backhands within the WTA, but Collins' is something special. She gets great shoulder turn, making it difficult to read which direction she's going with it. She hits it flat and hard, but is capable of brushing up with it and applying more spin when hitting cross-court angles. Her backhand down the line is, in my opinion, the most perfectly timed/executed shot in women's tennis. Apart from her backhand, the American's return of serve is also a great weapon. She often stands deep inside the baseline to attack both first and second serves to blast clean winners. Collins is able to do this because of her natural ability to time the ball perfectly. As every tennis player knows, timing is a gift. Belinda Bencic is the first name that comes to mind when I think of a player with a supernatural ability to time the ball perfectly, but Danielle is right behind her. Over the years, Collins has built her serve into a weapon. But it's a double-edged sword. She takes a lot of risk on both first and second serves and is capable of racking up aces as well as double faults. Much like the rest of her game, she takes a lot of risk. But more often than not, her risks pay off. When you combine her powerful physical game with her strength of mind and competitive fire, Collins is nearly unplayable when she's at her best. She proved that to the world when she made the Australian Open final last year, where she fell to the great Ash Barty. Much like her career, Danielle's road to the final was full of trials and tribulations. She suffered neck and back pains throughout the event - so much so that she didn't sit down during changeovers for some of the matches. Despite dealing with pain, Danielle prevailed over a difficult field. She defeated the big-hitting Clara Tauson, scrappy and consistent Elise Mertens, tenacious Alize Cornet, and current world #1 Iga Swiatek en route to the final.

Despite achieving great things on tour, the American has had to overcome a variety of health struggles. She had already been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis before she discovered she would have to undergo surgery for endometriosis. For those unfamiliar with rheumatoid arthritis, it's an autoimmune disease that causes pain and swelling in the joints. Endometriosis is also a very painful condition where tissue starts to grow over areas like the ovaries and fallopian tubes. Collins underwent surgery for endometriosis at the beginning of 2021 and hasn't looked back since.

"It got to the point where I couldn't deal any longer with it physically or mentally... Now I'm able to live my best life and be able to feel like a normal person," Collins said in 2022.

Less than a year after her surgery, the American reached her first Grand Slam Final and rose to the top ten in the world. She still struggles with her rheumatoid arthritis. But like she's done throughout her entire career, she continues to fight for what she wants.

"I come from nothing. And when you come from nothing you have nothing to lose." Collins endearingly and honestly stated at the 2022 US Open.

When looking at Danielle Collins, what do you see? You might see a "cocky" or "loud" tennis player. But I see a brave young woman who never backs down from a challenge. You might see arrogance, but I see a woman who's unwilling to settle. I see someone who's had to scrap and claw for everything she wants in life. There's a beauty and a power in her story that you might not understand. You don't understand it, so you try to destroy it. You can continue to villainize her, but I can assure you - it won't diminish her light. Danielle Collins was not the girl that everybody believed in. She wasn't a teenage sensation. There was no money machine behind her, supporting her dreams. So why is she here, on our TV screens, living her American Dream? Everything she's achieved, she's achieved alone. And because of that, she believes in herself just a little more than everybody else does. Danielle Collins has had to bet on herself each and every day. Not only has this become her greatest strength - but it's something not even her biggest critics can take away from her.

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Want to keep up with Danielle Collins? Follow her on Instagram here.