Danielle Collins Hit Back at Critics After She Had to Make “A Strange” Request During Her Clash with Emma Raducanu

Danielle Collins is into the second round of the French Open after beating Jodie Burrage in straight sets, she will face Serbia's Olga Danilovic next.

Danielle Collins Hit Back at Critics After She Had to Make “A Strange” Request During Her Clash with Emma Raducanu

Danielle Collins, Emma Raducanu (Image via X/#AusOpen, Jeu, Set et Match)

Danielle Collins has condemned the criticism she received after she had to make a request to the cameraman during her second-round match against Emma Raducanu at the Strasbourg Open last week. The clip of the incident went viral online and became a serious discussion for days leading up to the French Open.

Collins faced Raducanu in the second round of the WTA 500 event in Strasbourg. The latter claimed the first set before American rallied back into the match. Midway through the intense deciding set of the match, Collins got up from her bench during the changeover and took aim at the cameraman, who was standing too close to both players.

Raducanu was standing at the time of the incident, but footage showed that the cameraman was next to the British player. Collins, who wanted to get her water then told the cameraman that he needed to give them space:

I need to get water. We’re on a changeover. You don’t need to be that close to me, and you don’t need to be on top of Emma. It’s like wildly inappropriate. It’s not that difficult to give space. I’m sorry.

The clip went viral on social media, with some praising her comments while others lambasted her. Following her straight sets win over Jodie Burrage at the French Open, she was asked what she thought about the reaction to the incident against Raducanu. She revealed that the responses she received were offensive and it was pathetic that it was the center of discussion online.

I think very often it’s my response that is treated as the offensive part of the problem. It seems to me that, as a woman, asking for more personal space causes problems for many people. In my opinion, it’s pathetic. Why are we even talking about this? Look at who just positioned themselves right above to get a closer photo of me when I’m trying to concentrate. The day it bothers me, it’s the way I respond that is seen as the part that offended everyone. That’s what I don’t understand.

Collins reached the semi-finals of the Strasbourg Open but failed to defend her runners-up position after losing to Liudmila Samsonova. The former World No.7 has struggled this season on the court and she’s currently out of the Top 50 in the WTA rankings. She will be hoping to get back to form at the Roland Garros.

Danielle Collins says the sport is physically and emotionally demanding

Danielle Collins has always been outspoken about her feelings any time she’s asked. The American has often revealed that playing tennis is a difficult job. Also, she has had some disputes with fans on tour. In January, the World No.54 was heavily booed by the crowd at the Australian Open and she reacted with a lack of interest.

Danielle Collins
Danielle Collins (Image via X/#AusOpen)

After her first reply about the incident at the Strasbourg Open during her match against Emma Raducanu, Collins took time to stress that tennis is physically, emotionally and logically demanding and needs clear focus while playing on the court. She stated:

I’m doing a performance job, trying to focus on my work, trying to maintain my focus and concentration. My job requires channelling physical, emotional, and then logical, right, things going on. It’s my job to try to put that all together. The last thing that I should be focusing on is someone that’s right on top of my opponent and right in my face. It’s really unnecessary, too, especially with the capability that we have with technology.

Collins will face Serbian Olga Danilovic in the second round. The pair met in the second round last year with Danilovic winning in three close sets. The American star had won their only other meeting, which came at the Madrid Open in 2024.

Also Read: Retiring Richard Gasquet Calls Roland Garros 2nd Round Clash with Jannik Sinner ‘Fabulous’