AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 28, 2022

Danielle Collins

Press Conference

D. COLLINS/I. Swiatek

6-4, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. You're into your first Grand Slam final. Just tell us how you're feeling right now.

DANIELLE COLLINS: Feeling great. You know, it's been an incredible journey this tournament. Having a lot of fun on court, a lot of tough opponents, battles out there. To be through to the final is really incredible. I think I'm at a loss for words right now.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Seemed like watching you, you were almost in the zone at times in that second set. Is that how it felt when you were playing? The external side seemed like you were very composed after you won it. Not a whole lot of emotion. Was that the way it was inside as well?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, I think you explained it really well. I think today with the tactics and game plan that I had, getting off to the solid start that I had, I felt like I was really in the zone.

There wasn't a lot getting in my way. I was in really good rhythm, hitting the ball really clean, moving the ball around well. Kind of, yeah, just playing some really solid tennis. Yeah, like you said, in the zone is the best way to describe it, I think (smiling).

Q. After the match when you won, seemed like you were still kind of not really exulting. More like you had business still unfinished?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, I think when you're that focused on your tactics like I was and so locked into what I was doing, I think I also was thinking about the point before too where I kind of set it up to win the point and then Iga had an incredible athletic play there, got up to the volley that I hit short, and then passed me. So I was kind of expecting, you know, to play another long point. So it was a bit of a shock I guess at the end when I finally closed it out.

Q. I have seen you in the zone before, a few matches in Brisbane a couple years ago, particularly just seemed untouchable out there. Do you feel like at this point you have a good sort of roadmap to the zone? Do you know how to get there at this point directionally in your thought process or in your game or where you can summon that kind of tennis?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, I think for me when I have a really clear idea of my tactics and what I want to do, it's easier for me to get there. But then, you know, just like any other athlete and I think all of us on tour, you know, we have days where we try to get in the zone and we can't.

Today it really worked in my favor, and I was able to get there. I'm hoping that I have many more matches like that in the future, but, you know, you also have to be realistic with yourself and realize that you're not going to play that way every single time.

But I think it really helps when you can have a real clear roadmap to what you want to do on court and how you want to execute your game plan.

Q. Congratulations on making your first Grand Slam final. Being realistic, how do you feel you're going to be able to use the energy of the crowd, considering you're going to be taking on an Australian in a final for the first time here in 42 years? It's going to be tough?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, yeah, certainly. You know, I think after everything that all of us around the world went through with COVID, and especially in sports, not having fans for what seemed like a long period of time playing with no fans, I feel like I'm just really grateful to be able to see faces in the crowd again and to see people getting fired up, seeing positive energy, hearing people's voices.

That's something that I really thrive in, whether I have a full crowd going for me or whether I have the opposite or somewhere in the middle. I really just love the energy. I think that's what all professional athletes play for.

So I think I'm just really excited to go out there and compete. It was kind of relieving today when I saw Ash and Madison play, and it looked like there were more spectators in the crowd than a couple days before.

Yeah, just excited to go out there and do my best. I realize that there is going to be a lot of people supporting Ash. It's all in good spirit, so...

Q. Given that you have had quite an unconventional route to the pro game through college, at what point did you believe you're capable of achieving this kind of result, making a slam final?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, I mean, I think one of the special things on the women's side of the game is the depth across the board. There has been so many people, so many women in the last couple years who won slams that were not expected to win slams, and I think that gives hope to all of the players. Whether you're outside the top 50, whether you're outside the top 100 or you're in the top 10, I think everybody has a chance of making deep runs.

You know, I have used that mentality and just tried to do the best that I can. I have tried to believe in what I'm doing with how I'm playing. Just taking it one day at a time, really.

Q. Do you have any kind of memories that stand out from watching Grand Slam finals when you were young?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Oh, I do. You know, so much going back and being a young American was watching Venus and Serena play. Those were my favorite matches. I was always looking forward to seeing what they were wearing on court. I would ask my parents to get up early in the morning to watch their night matches.

You know, I can't right now -- I have been thinking about a lot of things, but I can't recall any specific matches, but I remember, you know, specifically watching them. I did enjoy watching Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova, all of those players growing up.

Yeah, to be playing on this stage where so many of my idols as a kid playing, it's almost surreal. This is just what we all, as kids, dream of doing. So it's just such a special moment for me. I'm just trying to embrace all of it (smiling).

Q. You played Ash pretty tough in your last matches against her. Talk about that kind of matchup, challenges she presents, that she's a unique player but a match you've been relatively comfortable with recently?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, I think every time we played we have battled, and they have been some really fun matches. Even the matches that I have lost have been some of my most memorable moments on court because of the way we were battling and going back and forth.

You know, something I really admire about Ash's game is her variety, you know, playing a different game style than pretty much all of the players on tour. There is not too many that use the slice backhand the way that she does, and, you know, have the big serve the way that she does.

You know, I think when I go out against her, we're going to have another battle hopefully and put on a good show for everyone. I'm going to have to kind of look back at some of the matches that we have played in the past and sit down and kind of think about what worked well and maybe some of the things that didn't work as well and just try to come up with the best game plan possible.

Q. You mentioned Ash's serve there. It's kind of not the fastest serve on tour but it's so effective. What are the kind of particular challenges of taking on her serve?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, I think she has really great variety. She mixes her spots well. She's able to hit all the different corners, mixing speeds and really kind of making you guess a lot on where she's going.

Q. When you made the semis here last time, there was a lot of talk about college and that being the route for you. Now, two years in a row there is an American who played college tennis making the final here, you and Jen Brady. What's that mean to you about the college path and where it can lead to?

DANIELLE COLLINS: It means a lot, especially with Jenny being American and being friends with her. You know, seeing the way now that so many people are going to college and then turning pro. We're seeing that on the men's side, as well, which is really special, because I think there is a lot of pros to going that route.

I certainly was very happy that I chose to go to college before and used that as some crucial developmental years to help me get to where I am today.

Yeah, I feel, yeah, just like great that there is more people going to college and going that route, because I think it's a great way to transition onto the tour.

Q. Your celebration at the end there seemed pretty quiet for somebody who just made their first slam final. Why was that?

DANIELLE COLLINS: I think, like I answered before, I think I was pretty locked into my game plan, and I think, you know, Iga was fighting till the end. The point before, I thought I won the point and I didn't. So, yeah, I think that I was probably expecting to play a little bit longer.

Q. Congratulations, Danielle. Before you came into the room, Iga said that you hit the fastest ball that she's ever played against. My question is what are your thoughts on the power aspect of your game and how you deploy it?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Oh, that's a good question. You know, I think a lot of it comes down to my strength and power and all of the time that I have spent off the court working on my physical fitness.

I have talked about that a lot, you know, previously, and that's something I really believe in. I have spent so much time in the weight room working on power and speed, and I feel like when I go out on court I'm able to use all of that to then translate it into my tennis and really being able to unload my legs and rotational strength and to hit hard shots.

Q. Incredible match today. I'm curious, when you first kind of broke on tour, I believe that you had given an interview where you had said when you were first coming up as a young kid, you were playing on the public courts in Florida and playing against, like, some of the guys that were out there playing for beers and things like that, and that it kind of taught you how to compete and how to deal with a lot of the awkward balls that sometimes you can get on a tennis court and know how to deal with it. You're now going to play somebody, as you said, who has an incredible amount of variety. I know your game has evolved past that to be far more aggressive, but I'm wondering, how much does that kind of foundational aspect of your game maybe play into your hands going up against her on Saturday?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, I think over the course of my career I have done a pretty good job of practicing against people who have variety in their game. I try to play with people that throw different shots at me that maybe I don't get all the time, just so that I'm constantly working on it and trying to get better at it.

You know, like you said, I played against a lot of people in the park that liked the slice backhand, a lot of people that have a one-handed backhand, which Ash doesn't really have, but using the one-handed slice.

It's funny you brought up the public parks, because, I mean, in my offseason, that was what I was doing every day. I was playing at the public park close to my house, and most of the days I was on the court with my boyfriend and we were hitting on the ball machine. That can throw some different variety at me too sometimes.

Yeah, I love that you brought that up about the public courts, because that's something that I enjoy so much. Even when I'm here and playing in these stadiums, I think back to all the special moments that I have had there. It's really like a zen moment for me sometimes to think about playing in the park.

Actually, at Fed Cup, when I was losing to Anastasia, Kathy had said, All right, Danielle, just think about being at your park with your ball machine as a kid and just... (laughter.)

Yeah, I'm going to have to think about that a lot when I'm on court with Ash.

Q. It's your zone.

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, it's my zone.

Q. Second question, just quickly, is mentioning the collegiate aspect of things. Given the way that college tennis matches get played in kind of a raucous environment and things like that, a lot of cheering and stuff, do you think that prepares you well for what you might face on Saturday in terms of dealing with an adverse crowd?

DANIELLE COLLINS: I sure hope so. You know, I think in college you get used to having an adverse crowd quite often. I always enjoyed it. I love playing with energy, whether it's for me, against me, neutral. I just love hearing people and having that fun energy.

So I hope that it's prepared me well, but we'll find out. This is going to be a little bit bigger stadium than some of the college matches I competed in, but just going to try to do the best that I can and embrace every moment.