'Thanks for the paycheck, Australia': US tennis star mocks booing Australians, thanks them for funding her '5-star vacation'

World No. 11 tennis player Danielle Collins hilariously provoked an Australian crowd that booed her following her victory at the Australian Open.

Collins was reportedly eyeing retirement at the end of the 2024 campaign but decided in October to continue her WTA career for at least one more season.

The 31-year-old Floridian is maximizing her time already, following a second-round win at the Australian Open against Australia's Destanee Aiava. As soon as Collins beat the 24-year-old in three sets, overwhelming boos started pouring in the from the crowd.

Collins then immediately started saying, "How about that?" and held her hand to her ear to absorb the boos before blowing kisses to the audience. After shaking her opponent's and judge's hand, she blew one more kiss to the Australian viewers before heading to the bench.

Collins spoke to a reporter on the court moments later and was asked about the rollercoaster ride of a match.

"I was thinking during the match, I was like, 'If I'm out here, I might as well just take that big, fat paycheck,'" she said as fans continued to voice their dissatisfaction.

Pointing to the crowd and her teammate, No. 3 ranked Coco Gauff, Collins thanked the Australian fans for paying for her trip down under.

"Coco and I love ... a good five-star vacation. So part of that check is gonna go towards that. So thank you, guys. Thanks for coming out here and supporting us tonight."

Hannah Peters/Getty Images

'The people that dislike you or hate you pay your bills.'

Collins then gave a separate interview to ESPN 2, with the network's reporter asking how she turned the match around in the third set.

"It was a tough crowd. I just figured, you know, if I'm gonna be out here, I better take home that bigger paycheck. So yeah, thanks for the paycheck, Australia," Collins replied, unrelenting.

When asked whether the crowd helped or hurt her performance, Collins said it was a "combination of both" but explained how her haters actually pay her bills.

"I'm definitely somebody that kind of needs to have a bit of a fire, you know, under my ass. And, I just feel like, yeah, all of this just motivates me to do better. You know? It's a pretty amazing feeling as an athlete because the people that dislike you or hate you pay your bills."

Collins concluded, "So that's a really rewarding feeling to be out here. And, yeah, it just feels like a really great day."

The American also made headlines in August 2024 when she told Greek player Maria Sakkari to "shut up" and "shut your mouth" during a tournament in Montreal.

Sakkari was accused of disrespectfully hitting balls into the crowd and received a warning from the on-court judge.

Collins will now play No.19 Madison Keys in the next round of the Australian Open.

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