Danielle Collins launches furious rant at 'wildly inappropriate' cameraman during match
Emma Raducanu's opponent Danielle Collins launched a furious rant at a cameraman during their clash at the WTA event in Strasbourg on Tuesday evening.
Danielle Collins furiously rebuked a camera operator she accused of being 'wildly inappropriate' during her match with Emma Raducanu in Strasbourg. The incident unfolded when the outspoken American confronted the camera person for getting too close during a break, leading to heated moments that were captured live as she won against Raducanu, who recently changed coaches, after three sets.
Collins, disturbed by the proximity of the camera during a changeover, didn’t shy away from addressing the cameraman bluntly. She demanded he respect her personal space and give Raducanu room, openly criticizing his behavior on live television.
Collins was overheard on the broadcast lashing out, saying: "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 wildly inappropriate. It's not that difficult to give space, I'm sorry."
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Post-encounter, there was an awkward pause as Collins refilled her water while still under the camera's gaze, later returning to play.
Raducanu initially showed strong performance by taking the first set, mirroring her earlier victory over Kasatkina. However, momentum shifted when Collins surged back, snatching six of the next seven games and claiming the second set, pushing towards a final set showdown.
Raducanu seemed on the brink of retirement when she sustained a back injury and called for a timeout. She exited the court with her physio, but eventually returned for the final set, which Collins clinched to secure a 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 win.
Post-victory, Collins remarked: "To be good at anything, self-expression is really important. There aren't many successful people that feel like they can't be themselves. I'm a competitor at the end of the day. I'm not meek and mild."
The comment followed her candid admission of irritation over the lack of recognition for her win against Iga Swiatek at the Italian Open. She delivered what could be considered her top performance of the year, but the focus seemed to skew towards her opponent's shortcomings.
Collins voiced her sentiments to Tennis Channel before playing Raducanu: "I thought I played really well against Iga. I didn't get a ton of credit for it. After the match, of course, you know, it's just more about how poorly she [Swiatek] played and everything."
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Collins expressed the challenge in savoring a triumphant moment when the perception tilts unfavorably: "That can make it difficult to be able to celebrate your win sometimes, when you feel like you have a good match, or you're playing well and it's just like: 'Whatever'. So yeah, I was happy about it, but yeah, dealing with that wasn't as fun as I imagined."
Looking ahead, Collins will face off against either Jessica Pegula or Anna Kalinskaya in Strasbourg's upcoming round, hoping to steer clear of any further skirmishes with media personnel during her next appearance on court Thursday.
