Danielle Collins has vowed to gift Novak Djokovic some of her merchandise after the Serb offered his support to the WTA star. Collins hasn’t been afraid to speak out on the subject of money in the sport, with the American recently causing a storm at this year’s Australian Open.
After being dumped out of the Open, she came under criticism for claiming the fans have helped pay for her next “five-star vacation” with the “big fat paycheck” she earned down under. Collins had been involved in a feud with the Australian supporters throughout the tournament after blowing kisses and slapping her posterior following a win over home crowd favourite Destanee Aiava in an earlier round.
Not one to back down, Collins has continued the schtick following the tournament and recently revealed a new line of merchandise with the brand Richsport. Taking to social media to announce the collaboration, the former Australian Open finalist was sporting a bright orange t-shirt, which read: “Play Tennis, Cash Checks, Repeat.”
The pieces have become somewhat of an unofficial uniform for Team Collins, with members of her box having been spotted wearing the t-shirts at Indian Wells this week. And when asked about the new range, Collins revealed she’d be gifting Djokovic a tee if they bumped into each other. She told tennis.com: “I obviously made some bold statements and got a lot of conversation going around women’s tennis and just women being able to talk about money…
“We were able to play around with the design choices and messaging to come up with something that was really true to me and my personality.
“I haven’t seen Novak this tournament (Indian Wells) yet but I will definitely be gifting him some merch.”
It comes after Djokovic spoke out in support of Collins’ Australian Open antics, insisting he was a “big fan”. Reacting to the stunt during a press conference, he stated: “I loved her response.
“I loved everything she said on the court and off the court. Big fan of Danielle Collins after that. I was before, but now, big fan. I love it. I don’t think I would be that polite, but then I know exactly the feeling. So, I think she was funny, smart.”
On the court, Collins enjoyed a winning start to her Indian Wells campaign, coming from behind to beat Hailey Baptiste 5-7, 6-2, 6-4. Her reward is a meeting with the competition’s 23rd seed, Elina Svitolina, which is scheduled for 6pm (GMT) on Sunday.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk