Danielle Collins is turning almost everything into gold with her Midas touch. After bagging her debut ticket to the Olympics, Collins impressed people with her first-round victory. However, that is not the only reason she is a fan-favorite at the event. Referring to her cultural identity, Collins shares a tale of how she found favor with Irish fans.

Collins won her first match at the Paris Olympics against Germany’s Laura Siegemund. However, more than the victory, she was surprised by an interesting incident in Paris. Referring to the heartwarming behavior of fans, Collins revealed, “A group of people that were Irish, and because of my last name, Collins, they came out to support me even though I’m American. Because my grandfather is Irish they wanted to support me. How cool is that?” Collins’ revelations showed how supportive fans were towards the American WTA star.

She also mentioned how her Irish lineage helped her make friends in Paris. “And a couple times when I was in the (athletes) village, some of the Irish came up to me and said, ’Oh my goodness, Collins, that’s a very Irish last name.’ And we got to talking and I made some new friends and got the Irish pin. So that has been so cool because we don’t have a lot of Irish tennis players on tour,“ said Collins.

This American WTA star received her Irish heritage from her late grandfather, Daniel Collins. While Collins couldn’t tell whether her grandfather or great-grandfather emigrated from Ireland to America, she seemed delighted at sharing her roots with the Irish people. “Maybe somebody on ancestor.com can help me,“ she said.

Collins couldn’t qualify for the Olympics until this time. She felt extremely delighted representing her country on this platform and spoke about it in detail.

Danielle Collins feels “it’s special“ to receive the opportunity to play in the Olympics

Collins was over the moon playing in the Paris Olympics in her last season. “It’s even more special when you’re an American getting the opportunity to do this because you don’t get to be on the Olympic team unless you’re like in the top 15 in the world, That really says a lot about the level that we have.” This WTA star also explained how her long friendship with her teammates made her debut Olympic journey more delightful.

“I’ve known Jess (Jessica Pegula) since we were young teenagers. I’ve known Des (her doubles partner Desirae Krawczyk) since we were about 10 years old, playing the national tournaments together because we’re the same age.” She knows Gauff as they met when the 21-year-old was climbing up the ladder. “And then Emma Navarro, being from my school (the University of Virginia, where Collins was a two-time NCAA champion). … So it’s been so nice that in my final year, I’ll get to have these memories forever,“ she said.

Danielle Collins’ experience at the Paris Olympics is one that she will remember for long after her tennis journey comes to a close. The way Irish fans greeted her, showed the openness and warmth sports teach to people.