American tennis player Danielle Collins thanked a crowd of thousands of booing Australians for her "big fat pay check" after she defeated home favorite Destanee Aiava in the second round of the Australian Open. After she wrapped up the 7-6 4-6 6-2 win at Melbourne's Kia Arena on Thursday, she cupped her hand to her ear and blew kisses to the crowd that had been heckling her, the BBC reports. The crowd continued to boo during her on-court interview after the match. "I was thinking during the match ... as long as I'm out here, I might as well take that big fat check," she said, per SI. "We love a five-star vacation, so a big part of that will go towards that," said Collins, who will receive $180,000 for reaching the third round.
"One of the greatest things about being a professional athlete is the people that don't like you and the people that hate you, they actually pay your bills," Collins said at a post-match press conference away from the raucous crowd, per the Athletic. "It's kind of a cool concept." She added: "Every person that's bought a ticket to come out here and heckle me, it's all going towards the Danielle Collins Fund. Bring it on."
The 31-year-old said she "loved" the hostile atmosphere and it motivated her to beat Aiava, who was Australia's last hope in the women's draw. Collins will face fellow American Madison Keys in the next round. In 2022, she made it to the final but was defeated by Ashleigh Barty, the first Australian of either sex to win the Australian Open in 44 years. (More tennis stories.)
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