Danielle Collins isn’t nicknamed “Danimal” for nothing. Rowdy fans at the Madrid Open and the Italian Open found it out when she delivered sharp-tongued responses to hecklers in the crowd. On the court, she is always a fierce competitor. However, this aggressive side of her has also drawn flak from the tennis community. But Collins is having none of it. She believes there is a lingering double standard that demands female players justify their aggression on-court.

The American tennis player, ready to embark on her first Olympic journey, has arrived at this juncture with her fierce competitive spirit. Collins has built a reputation for having a fiery personality in tennis and has no intention of toning herself down for public viewing pleasure. Winning back-to-back titles at the Miami and Charleston Opens with her powerful forehand strokes, Collins is in her final year on the Tour. More determined than ever, she is reminiscent of ATP players on the Tour who are more open with their expressions.

But if men do it, why not women? “The thing that has been difficult for me to wrap my head around as a professional athlete and tennis player is why women have to justify their competitive spirit,” she told UVAToday in an interview. 

Imagine being one of the best in your field and then being told to tone down your passion. Sadly, for many female athletes, this is a harsh reality, and Danielle Collins is not immune to it either. 

Further delving into her own experience on the subject, Collins added, “That’s been a common theme throughout my career, where I’ve had to justify why I am being competitive. Why am I yelling, ‘Come on!’? Why am I showing competitive spirit? When you are a junior and you’re working with different coaches and learning how to play tennis, a big theme should be competitive spirit.”

The media is one thing but Collins doesn’t tolerate hecklers on the court either. Much like Novak Djokovic playing off the energy of the crowd, Collins told a particularly rowdy fan at the Madrid Open vs. Jaqueline Cristian, “Come out here and do what I do, okay? Have a little more respect.” Then at the Italian Open, when she messed up a serve and the crowd booed, Collins lashed out with “What? What?” 

“I’m someone that’s not afraid to be myself. I think as women we should really embrace that and support each other,” she said at Wimbledon earlier this month. “We get framed as emotional and frustrated and this and that, and I just say, ‘Eff it. I’m going for it’ … and I am always going to bring the passion.”

Collins remains of the opinion that a female tennis player’s on-court emotion should be viewed only as the drive to win. But has that been the case? Is the treatment of men different from women in tennis when it comes to on-court behavior? The Serena Williams incident from six years ago comes to mind.

During the 2018 US Open final, Willaims battled Naomi Osaka in an intense match. During the match, Williams was issued a debatable violation by umpire, Carlos Ramos for her coach allegedly communicating with her from the stands. She was not happy with the decision and later slammed her tennis racket into the ground, resulting in another warning. When the American decided to confront the umpire, he issued a third warning, giving Osaka the game.

During the match, she the umpire “a liar” and “a thief,” saying, “I don’t cheat … You owe me an apology!” She also called out the umpire for alleged sexism and added, ” Afterward, Serena was vocal about the treatment meted out to her. He’s never taken a game from a man because they said ‘thief’.”

BBC tennis presenter Sue Barker also felt Serena was hard done by and called out the double standards. She said, “I’ve sat courtside watching the men ranting at umpires and they haven’t been given a violation.” Billy Jean King also backed Serena and said, “When a woman is emotional, she’s ‘hysterical’ and she’s penalised for it. When a man does the same, he’s ‘outspoken’ and there are no repercussions.”

In contrast, during the 2020 US Open, Novak Djokovic slammed the tennis ball into the sideboard after a third breakpoint and then later hit a ball out of anger, which inadvertently hit a line judge. Even though he was ejected from the match, this was the third time he had used his equipment aggressively in the tournament but was not issued any warning for any of his previous acts.

Danielle Collins’s unapologetic outlook on her style of play has garnered a lot of attention in the tennis world, with some appreciating her form. Andy Roddick is also one of them. “You don’t have to be a diehard tennis fan to understand her vibe to understand that there’s like this primal aggression inside of this. It’s like she is going to walk up and throw haymakers like and it’s just it’s fun I mean, so I get it,” he said on his “Served” podcast

Danielle Collins likes to wear her heart on her sleeve and is not afraid to speak her mind. Over the years, many female tennis players have set the tone of playing with an aggressive approach and Billie Jean King is a standout among them. A pioneer in her campaigns for gender equality in tennis, King was a hard hitter too.

Martina Navratilova, known for her speed and powerful forehand strokes, is also at the top of that list. And as the new generation of players sets their own record in this regard, Danimal’s perspective calls for a change in attitude on the matter. Moreover, Collins, who turned pro back in 2016, is soon going to retire. And sadly, criticism has followed her in this regard as well.

Danielle Collins’ strong take on her retirement amid repeated queries 

Danielle Collins’ news of retirement before the start of the season was a shock to us all. The reason behind it was her long-standing battle with endometriosis and rheumatoid arthritis and her willingness to deal with it and focus on family planning. However, as she gave her stormed into the Miami Open semi-finals in March, everyone remained curious about whether she was second-guessing her decision. She was not happy and wondered whether a male player would repeatedly be asked to justify his decision to retire.

“I find it so interesting, because I felt like when I was announcing my retirement, everyone has been like congratulating me and [been] so excited for me. But then on the other hand, I feel I’ve had to justify my decision a lot. I feel like if I was a guy, I probably wouldn’t have to justify it that much,” she said in a post-match interview.

Collins’ decision is firm and her fierce attitude is something she never wants to change. And as she brings on her best game on-court, let’s hope we see her incredible prowess once again!