Jessica Pegula and Danielle Collins are good friends, and the World No. 5 recently commented on her compatriot's personality.
The two American women turned 30 not long ago and will be in the Top 10 of the WTA rankings simultaneously as of Monday next week. Collins' impressive run of form has catapulted her climb into the elite group for a second time.
As Collins continues her winning spree at this week's Strasbourg Open, Pegula has missed out on watching her from close quarters. The Buffalo native is currently recovering from an injury setback that has kept her from competing on the WTA Tour since mid-April.
She withdrew from Roland Garros before the draw ceremony and intends to rejoin the tour for the full grass-court swing next month. Pegula recently appeared on NBC Sports' podcast The French Connection, where she shared her insight on the draw and some of the players who will play in the event.
One of them is Collins, the 11th seed, who is scheduled in an all-American first-round bout against Caroline Dolehide. The four-time WTA titlist referred to the soon-to-be World No. 10 as a woman with a "great personality," even though some people get offended by it.
"Yeah, I'm a big Danielle Collins fan. I think she's great, I think she's entertaining. I think she's such a great personality, especially as a woman. She's not afraid to kind of get in your face and I think that sometimes people might get offended by that, maybe being a female, but she's not afraid to back down."
Collins is known for being charming away from the court, but when she is playing, her fiery side takes over. She knows nothing but being the ultimate competitor, something Pegula also highly praised.
"Honestly, I feel like she kind of taught me a lot. I remember playing with her like world team tennis at the beginning and she sometimes... You got to throw a little extra drama in there and... She's just not afraid to like completely be herself on the court."
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