- The American pantomime villain lost to her compatriot in straight sets
- Collins booed after sarcastically thanking viewers for 'paying my bills'
- She also insisted that she would not let the persistent boos get to her.
Danielle Collins was booed off court after being eliminated from the Australian Open following her loss to fellow American Madison Keys on Saturday.
Collins, 31, became a pantomime villain at Melbourne Park after sarcastically responding to her hecklers, having defeated local favorite Destanee Aiava in the second round on Thursday before boasting about winning a “big check “.
He also blew kisses to the crowd, grabbed her ear and even slapped her on the butt.
One critic took offense to her behavior, scathingly labeling her a “brat,” and no love was lost when she returned to the court for her third-round tie.
Collins, seeded 10th in the women's singles, smiled after receiving a mixed reception when she walked out onto center court at Rod Laver Arena.
But the cheers soon increased when she hit her first double fault and, despite showing flashes of a comeback in the second set, Collins fell 6-4, 6-4.
Danielle Collins was left out of the Australian Open after losing to Madison Keys
Collins gestured to the crowd after being heckled as she walked off the court.
Keys won in straight sets two days after Collins' dramatic victory over Destanee Aiava.
At the end of the first set, the chair umpire asked the crowd to respect both players.
Collins endured a miserable performance and also required a medical timeout when trailing 4-3 in the second set, and then had heavy straps applied to his left leg.
After crashing, he limped off the court to more audible boos.
Collins, a finalist beaten by Ash Barty in Melbourne in 2022, had shouted at the crowd to “shut up” after a foul during her pulsating victory over Aiava.
Later, however, he said he used the “hostile atmosphere” as motivation.
“One of the best things about being a professional athlete is that the people who don't like you and the people who hate you actually pay your bills,” Collins said.
'My professional career is not going to last forever, so I remind myself every day when I have those kinds of things (negative public reactions) that are paying my bills.
'Every person who has bought a ticket to come here and interrupt me or do what they do, it will all go to Danielle Collins' fund.
Collins had sarcastically grabbed her ear after being booed by the crowd on Thursday.
He even slapped his butt before bragging about his hefty paycheck.
She believes she was interrupted mainly because she was facing the last Australian standing.
“I think they really wanted her to win. I think there were a lot of people who were super drunk and had a hard time controlling themselves and were very excited.
'I'm from another country, I'm here competing against someone who is from here. Ultimately, I thought it was a pretty good environment.
“Although it was quite loud, this girl loves it, so…
“All I have to say is good luck pissing someone off or getting under the skin of someone who doesn't really care.”