THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 4, 2024

Danielle Collins

Press Conference

D. COLLINS/D. Galfi

6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Just to kick things off, how are you feeling on the grass today?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, feeling good. It was tricky conditions with the wind. Obviously that throws another element to the grass already being a little bit tricky. So I had to be on my toes out there.

Sometimes you line up for a shot, and you think you have it, and then all of a sudden it's in a different direction. So, yeah, had to just really be on my toes and ready at all times.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Danielle, for you, team sports mean a lot. They meant a lot in college. They mean a lot here, and now you're going to the Olympics.

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah.

Q. What is the value in tennis being a singular sport and yet being played as a member of a team?

DANIELLE COLLINS: For me at least my most memorable weeks are Billie Jean King Cup weeks and being able to represent my country, the camaraderie that all of us Americans get to share.

We have a really special group. I feel like that's been a huge product of Kathy Rinaldi, too, and building a strong culture around American tennis.

I can't tell you how many players have come up to me in the locker rooms. I had somebody come up a few weeks ago and say, I really wish I could be on the American team because you guys are always laugh and having so much fun, and you all seem so genuine. That couldn't be a bigger compliment to all of us because I just think it speaks to how all of us are as people.

I've just had such wonderful experiences on those teams and incredible memories. To be able to play the Olympics in my final year with so many of the women that I have known for a long time... I mean, I've known Jess since we were young teenagers.

And Des and I are playing doubles at Olympics. We have known each other since we were really young, like 10, 11 years old at nationals.

I've known Coco Gauff now for a good majority of her life because she's so young, and Emma Navarro too. I've known her for a little while. Another comradery that her and I share because we both went to UVA. Unfortunately, we weren't on the team at the same time. That would have just been unfair, I think, to everybody in the country if her and I would have been on the same team together. We would have been lifting a lot of trophies.

Yeah, it's such an honor to be able to go to the Olympics. I will say I do think the format of the Olympics is a little bit different from Billy Jean King Cup given that it's a standard draw where anyone can play, and I know in the first couple of rounds I don't think you can draw one of your teammates, or they try to make it at least.

Q. They didn't say that to me. I don't know.

DANIELLE COLLINS: I think that's maybe what I heard. I'm not 100% sure on that. Yeah, it's kind of weird that you can play one of your teammates at any point in the draw. I find that kind of weird given that we are on a team, but still, huge honor.

I think the week leading up to Olympics will be really special just sharing that experience all together and working together, practicing together.

I have to say it's been also very fun putting together my little gift bag for everyone on the team and preparing some surprises for the girls.

Q. You all are putting together your own gift bags for each other?

DANIELLE COLLINS: I don't know, but I am. I'm very festivey, so I love gifts. I have a closet in my house that's just dedicated to gifts, and I stock up on a bunch of different things. Then that way whenever special holidays or birthdays come up, I can go to the closet and have a bunch of different things to choose from.

Yeah, I love gifts. Like, I love giving gifts. Receiving them, okay, but I love giving gifts. I love everything from wrapping the presents to writing the cards.

So, yeah, I'm really excited to put together some surprises and hopefully I can try to make this special for everyone.

Q. I wanted to ask you specifically about Emma because you do have that Cavalier connection. She just keeps pumping up and up and up. Did you watch Naomi's match, and what do you see as her up side right now?

DANIELLE COLLINS: I think Emma's mental resilience. To be able to go from transitioning from college tennis to the pros so quickly, the physical strength and stamina that she has to be able to play so many matches and to do so well and do so very consistently is so impressive.

But I think her mental resilience. She's just a really tough kid. I think she's always -- in her matches she's never throwing in the towel. It's tough to beat someone that never gives up. Emma certainly has that quality.

I think her athleticism speaks for itself. She's a very versatile athlete. I like the way that she can play offense and also play defense very well, and she's just very clever on the court. I think she's incredibly bright on and off the court.

She's just, yeah, all-around solid. It's been so impressive to see. Given that we both went to the same school, I feel like I'm always beaming with pride when Emma has success.

Q. You could have just described yourself in that resilience part too, you know.

DANIELLE COLLINS: That's very nice that you say that. But, yeah, it's super cool I think. I had gone to UVA a few years before Emma, and got to meet Emma before she went to UVA, which was amazing. What a great career she had there.

Yeah, it's been a good few years for UVA women's tennis.

Q. You have recently opened up talking about stalkers and how tough they have done things to your career. I'm wondering if this is something that you discuss between other players. Do you share different stories about this and how you can improve, like, stopping these issues?

DANIELLE COLLINS: I think, unfortunately, it's a hard thing given the way that sports works and our job being open to the public to get it to completely stop. That's what I've kind of learned.

I feel like the events, like Wimbledon, does an amazing job. The Grand Slams do an incredible job. I thanked the security staff at Miami, at the Miami Open tournament in my final speech because they put up with a lot. It's not easy for the tournaments, for the organizers. It's not easy for everyone involved, and especially the players that have to deal with the emotional side of it.

Yeah, we talk about it, but I'm not here to share anyone's story but my own. All I can say is it's a part of tennis that I think can be a huge distraction for us athletes. Yeah, it's unfortunate.

Q. Does it affect you in the women's tour or also it's an issue in the men's side, you would say?

DANIELLE COLLINS: Yeah, I think it can go both ways. I have heard so many stories over the years that are just... Yeah, they're sad. That's really all I can say.

Q. Danielle, a nontraditional brand in sport now, especially like in tennis, you yourself wear Free People. I wonder, how did that journey begin, and if you can recall that a little bit? How does it feel to play in this kind of year as against the more traditional brands that have always been in sport?

DANIELLE COLLINS: I love this question because I love talking about fashion, and especially now with my partnership with Free People Movement I couldn't be more happy to work with a brand that is taking athleisure wear and fashion and merging the two together.

I'm always looking forward to wearing my on-court outfits. Part of the reason I got into tennis as a kid was because I loved the tennis outfits and getting to pick and choose cute things I could wear. My parents would kind of bribe me a little bit and say, Oh, if you have a good result, we can look at maybe getting a new outfit.

It's really special now that as a professional I get to also get some of these outfits for free, and I get a lot of outfits from Free People Movement. It has been an incredible experience working with them.

I feel like with my free spirit persona, it blends perfectly into everything that Free People and Free People Movement stands for.

Like you said, it's a little bit different than kind of the traditional athletic companies because I do think they merge fashion into what they do a lot differently, and a lot of stylish outfits if you check out what Sloane is wearing, what I'm wearing on court. I think, yeah, we have some pretty stylish outfits out there.

It's been fun to see. I really enjoy, too, doing the photo shoots and getting to try on new outfits that maybe I wouldn't necessarily wear on court, but they're things that I like to enjoy wearing when I go to pilates or if I go to yoga or if I want to go and get a coffee but not dress up in a full normal jean or long dress or more. Yeah, it's more casual and athleisurely. It's been so much fun working with them.

I hope that in the future I can continue to work with them too and hopefully do some more collaboration and promote their products because I just have loved every outfit that I've been wearing on court.

Especially, too, the cute outfits that I get to wear in practice, those aren't often photographed as much, but I've had some really cool looks, so I hope to share that with everybody.

And, also, I have to brag on this bag because everybody has been complimenting me on this beautiful bag that I have. And I literally have it in every single color, carryall bag. Yes. I know that I'm, yes, really giving them a shout-out right now.

But you got to get this bag. It is the best. It has numerous pockets. It fits so many things. I could show you everything that's in my bag, but I don't want to bore you guys with all my stuff.

Q. This is your bag check.

DANIELLE COLLINS: Do you want to do a bag check?

Q. Sure.

DANIELLE COLLINS: I'll do a bag check. Do you want to?

Q. Unless they need the room.

DANIELLE COLLINS: We have cosmetic bag, makeup and different hair stuff because I got a lot of hair. Bobby pins because I've got bangs, and that can be hard to manage. Some little sweet potato snack things. Some blister Band-Aids. I've got headphones. I've got lots of SPF. When I say 'lots', I mean lots of SPF because I burn easily, and I got to protect my skin.

I've got more snacks. I've got another snack. I've got another snack.

Q. This is the best press conference of the whole tournament, Danielle. Hands down.