Danielle Collins affirmed her self-confidence and belief in her abilities in a passionate on-court interview after guaranteeing her spot in the fourth round of Wimbledon.
Collins, 30, is having the season of her life. She's previously confirmed that she will be retiring at the end of 2024, and that decision has had a positive effect on her form, even though she rejects that notion.
Only nine women have beaten the World No. 11, who is popularly known as "Danimal" on social media. At the same time, Collins has picked up an impressive 39 match wins for the year.
She recorded her most recent victory on Court 3 at Wimbledon, where she overcame a slow start (she trailed 0-4 in the first set) to beat 20th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-4, 6-4.
The result secured her spot in the second week of the grass-court major for the first time. And with the top three seeds at the tournament, each exiting either by elimination or injury, Collins has a realistic shot at winning her first Grand Slam in her final season on the WTA Tour.
Shortly after beating the Brazilian No. 1, the 30-year-old spoke candidly about her character and fiery personality while on the court and called on her peers to "embrace" and "support" each other in being authentic.
"I wear my emotions and I wear my heart on my sleeve and I'm someone who's not afraid to be myself and I think as women, we should really embrace that and support each other and be able to use that passion to ignite ourselves. I think that's a lot. We get framed as emotional and frustrated and this and that, and I say f*** that."
"I'm trying and I wear my heart on my sleeve and I'll always wear passion. So, that's one thing, that, throughout my career, whether it was from the beginning of graduating from college or the end of my career here now, I've always brought passion. I try to keep everyone as entertained as possible."