‘I Like Being Called Danimal’ – Danielle Collins Explains Reason Behind Bizarre Nickname

American tennis star Danielle Collins is not having a great year so far. The 28-year-old started strong by defeating the likes of Alize Cornet and Iga Swiatek to make her way to the final of the Australian Open. However, she lost to the former Australian tennis star Ashleigh Barty. Further, she gave a few significant performances but is yet to win a title this year. She defeated Naomi Osaka in the first round of the US Open 2022 and had a run to the round of 16.

Although the American failed to win any tournament this year, she has maintained a ranking of world number 14. Recently, the 28-year-old appeared in a podcast discussing various aspects of her life and tennis career. She also spoke about a special name she uses for herself.

Danielle Collins or Danimal Collins?

American tennis star Danielle Collins recently appeared in the Tennis.com podcast with Kamau Murray. Starting the podcast, Murray straight away addressed Daniel Collins as Danimal Collins. Later, he asked if she likes people calling her that, to which she replied, “I would say so and it is becoming like a bit of an alias. When I call for my dinner reservations, they say what name, and I say Danimal. They kind of laugh and are like, no, the name I say Danimal. They are like what!! I like being called Danimal.”

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Notably, the American has also mentioned the name Danimal in her Instagram and Twitter account usernames.

Collins makes an unusual request in her match against Maria Sakkari

Collins recently featured in the Guadalajara Open. The 28-year-old was looking for her qualification for the WTA Finals. However, a defeat in the round of 16 match against Maria Sakkari meant that she won’t be able to make it this year. It was an interesting three-set match where Collins took the first set but lost the other two.

Meanwhile, a strange thing happened. During a changeover, the American requested the chair umpire to ask the cameraman to back up a little bit. Later, she personally asked the cameraman to back up and give her a bit more space.

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After the match, Maria Sakkari praised Collins for her performance. Calling the match a close encounter, she also hailed the American for her aggressive gameplay.