“Playing in front of thousand of my best friends,” Danielle Collins receives overwhelming crowd support at the Miami Open finals against Elena Rybakina

Danielle Collins was flattered with the support she got in Miami.

“Playing in front of thousand of my best friends,” Danielle Collins receives overwhelming crowd support at the Miami Open finals against Elena Rybakina

Danielle Collins got massive crowd support in Miami (Images via Imago)

American tennis player and World No. 53, Danielle Collins scripted history on Saturday as she beat a higher-ranked Elena Rybakina in straight sets in the 2024 Miami Open final to lift her first-ever WTA 1000 title. While she played amazing tennis throughout the course of the tournament, the crowd support also played a role in her victory and Collins acknowledged it.

After her straight-set win over Rybakina in the final, Collins thanked the crowd for their overwhelming support throughout the tournament. The 30-year-old said that it felt like playing in front of thousands of her best friends.

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Collins said that it was an unforgettable moment for her as she had never felt anything like that before. The 30-year-old was blown away by the kind of support she garnered. However, it should not come as a surprise considering she was the local player.

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Whether I won or lost, having the crowd support, I have never gotten to experience anything like it…literally felt like I was playing in front of thousands of my best friends, I just -- yeah, I'll never forget it (smiling).
Danielle Collins said about the crowd support in Miami.

Elena Rybakina doesn’t think the crowd was biased towards Danielle Collins

Although Danielle Collins got more support from the crowd for being the local player, Elena Rybakina did not feel that the fans were biased. The Kazakhstan ace was asked if the crowd cheering for Collins posed a challenge for her to which Rybakina refused.

Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina, Danielle Collins (Images via X)

The World No. 4 player said that she was aware of the fact that Collins would get a tad more support. Rybakina also pointed out that the crowd cheered for her every time she made a comeback in the game. 

I mean, I was expecting of course that the crowd is going to be more on Danielle's side, but I think they were supportive also towards me, especially when it was some tough moments and I was kind of coming back. So I think it was still nice atmosphere, and I was not really focusing how much they were cheering for her or not. It was just good to play in front of them.
Elena Rybakina said at the post-match press conference.

Notably, it was a historic win for Collins who won her first Masters title of her career. The 30-year-old became just the second unseeded player to win the title in Miami, after Kim Clijsters who did it in 2005. Also, Collins is now the lowest-ranked player to win a Miami Open title as she won it while being ranked 53rd in the world.

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