Danielle Collins named two of her fellow tennis players she enjoys watching due to their on court conduct.
The 30-year-old is getting ready to compete in her final US Open, which is also the last Grand Slam of her career.
Collins will retire at the end of the season and she is looking to end her playing days on a high by claiming her first Grand Slam title.
Danielle Collins has played against truly spectacular players on tour but there are two that catch her eye for a reason other than their shotmaking.
Who does Danielle Collins enjoy watching play on the WTA Tour?
Collins is known for her fiery and no-nonsense persona on court and she has been nicknamed ‘Danimal’ as a result.
Players’ on-court personalities differ, and the World number 11 is a competitor that wears her heart on her sleeve and lets her passion for the game and will to win shine through in an extroverted manner.
However, there are some players who show little emotion on court and it is hard to gauge how they are feeling. Collins named Naomi Osaka and Elena Rybakina as the players she likes to watch perform, especially given how different their on-court personality is from her own.
“I love watching Naomi Osaka when she’s performing at her best. I feel like she is just a stone cold killer out there and I love it,” Collins told the Tennis Insider Club podcast with World number 30 Caroline Garcia.
“Elena Rybakina too, is someone who doesn’t show a lot of emotion and she’s just amazing and how she’s able to stay so calm and collected and composed.
“I have so much respect for both of them and really enjoy watching them play and I find it so fascinating because I’m so different. For me to be successful I have to play with that emotion and that passion, for whatever reason it’s just my persona.”
What is Danielle Collins’ head-to-head record against Naomi Osaka and Elena Rybakina?
Collins has played both Osaka and Rybakina on five occasions.
The 2022 Australian Open finalist has won two of her encounters against Osaka, which happen to be their two most recent matchups.
Collins ended the Japanese player’s US Open campaign in the first round, and knocked her out of the Abu Dhabi Open in February 2024.
As was the case with Osaka, Collins won two of her five contests against Ryabkina. She claimed their first meeting in San Jose back in 2021 and their most recent match in the Miami Open final, which Collins won to clinch her first WTA 1000 title.
There may be some more opportunities for Collins to level these rivalries before she retires at the end of the season.
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