Danielle Collins is in the form of her life right now, and she has revealed the influence of Serena Williams and Venus Williams on her career.
The American has enjoyed one of the most incredible runs seen in recent years on the WTA Tour. She started this by winning her first WTA 1000 title at the Miami Open, beating Elena Rybakina in the final.
Some may have expected her results to drop after that, but the opposite happened. Collins won the Charleston Open immediately after, meaning she has now managed an extraordinary 13 victories in a row.
Despite this, there is a minority in the tennis world who do not like the 30-year-old's personality. But this does not bother Collins, who recently told her critics to stay bothered after one of her wins in Charleston.
In an interview with the Tennis Channel after her Charleston title triumph, Collins discusses how the story of the Williams sisters is one that inspired her by showing that anything is possible regardless of a person's background.
"Growing up, Serena was my idol. I think the Williams sisters taught all of us it doesn’t matter where you come from. It doesn’t matter what you look like, your background, or how much money your parents have. If you set your mind to something and work your tail off, anything is possible."
Collins then elaborated on how the iconic sisters were a duo to look up to while she was trying to make it as a tennis player with her dad as her coach when she was much younger.
"I resonated with their story. My dad was my coach. We were at public parks. My parents were driving me all around and working double, triple shifts just so they could support my dream. Having those 2 as idols and people to look up too.. I definitely feel like sometimes the way I try to hit my shots is a byproduct of watching Venus and Serena play."
The Charleston champion ended by expressing her gratitude to the pair and how amazing she thinks they both are.
"I feel so grateful. They’re amazing on and off the court. Every time they say something nice about me I just totally blush. I fangirl a little bit. I gotta admit. If you guys are watching this, I love you guys. So thank you.”
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