Danielle Collins taunts a critic after being labelled a 'brat' for slapping her backside and bragging about 'big fat cheque' following Australian Open win
- The American tennis star was slammed for her conduct in Melbourne yesterday
- She blew kisses to the crowd after her victory and even slapped her backside
- Collins revelled in her new status on social media after reading a critic's remarks
American tennis phenomenon Danielle Collins has hit back at a critic on social media after soaking up the jeers following her win at the Australian Open on Thursday night.
Collins was labelled a 'brat' after blasting the crowd in Melbourne as 'super drunk', slapping her backside and bragging about her eye-watering winner's cheque.
She also cupped her hand to her ear and blew kisses to the spectators after beating home hopeful Destanee Aiava 7-6 4-6 6-2 in the second round.
After being loudly jeered during her post-match interview, Collins, the 10th seed in the women's singles, provocatively said her hecklers were 'paying my bills'.
Tony Jones, an Australian sports presenter, spoke witheringly on Collins' behaviour. He told 3AW Drive: 'My view is she's a brat.
'When you get people like Danielle Collins who lives this (lavish) lifestyle and then rubs our noses in it… I thought it overstepped the mark.'
Daniele Collins hit back at a critic after being savaged over her conduct at the Australian Open
Collins slapped her backside and taunted the home crowd after winning in the second round
She responded to being called a 'brat' by one pundit by labelling him an 'old dude'
But Collins, quick to respond, screenshotted Jones' remarks and posted them on her Instagram story alongside a sarcastic caption.
Referring to the 'brat summer' aesthetic made popular after the release of the Charli XCX album Brat, Collins wrote: 'I love when these old dudes like Tony know the vibe #bratsummer #brataussiesummer #charliexcx.'
Collins, a beaten finalist to Ash Barty in Melbourne in 2022, yelled at the crowd to 'shut up' after she was jeered following a fault during yesterday's match.
But later, the 31-year-old said she 'loved the hostile atmosphere' and used it as motivation against Aiava, the world No 195.
'One of the greatest things about being a professional athlete is that the people that don't like you and the people that hate you, they actually pay your bills,' Collins said.
'My professional career is not going to last forever so I just remind myself every day when I have that kind of stuff [negative crowd reactions] they're paying my bills.
'Every person that has bought a ticket to come out here and heckle me or do what they do, it's all going towards the Danielle Collins fund.'
Collins said the £147,500 she banked will be used on a lavish 'five-star trip'.
Collins overcame Australian qualifier Destanee Aiava in three sets before taking on the crowd
She believes she was primarily heckled because she was facing the last Australian standing
Collins now plans to use her winner's cheque to fund a lavish 'five-star' holiday with friends
She will next face compatriot Madison Keys in the third round in Melbourne
'Me and my group of girlfriends, we love a five-star vacation so I can guarantee that cheque is going to go towards our next five-star trip – hopefully to the Bahamas,' said Collins, who will next face compatriot Madison Keys in the third round.
'We like boats, we like big boats, we like yachts, so we'll post about it and let you guys know how it goes.'
Collins believes she was primarily targeted by heckles because she was playing the last Australian standing in the women's singles, but claimed alcohol was also a factor.
'I mean, look Destanee is from here,' Collins added. 'I think they really wanted for her to win badly. I think there were a lot of people that were super drunk and had a hard time controlling themselves and were really excited.
'I'm from a different country, here competing against someone that's from here. Ultimately it was a pretty cool environment I thought. Even though it was pretty rowdy, this girl loves it, so...
'All I have to say is good luck pissing somebody off or getting under the skin of somebody that really doesn't care.'
