Danielle Collins gets booed by Melbourne fans as she enters arena after 'big fat pay cheque' comments at Australian Open

Danielle Collins made plenty of headlines with her post-match reaction to the partisan crowd after her second-round win over a home favourite at the Australian Open on Thursday. Many were left wondering just what sort of reaction she might get when she played Madison Keys in the third round, and the Melbourne crowd were quick to answer that with a solid chorus of boos as Collins took to the court.

Danielle Collins is no stranger to controversy at this year’s Australian Open.

The American, who is seeded 10th in Melbourne, found herself taking on the crowd as much as her opponent in her second-round match on Thursday.

Playing an Aussie in Destanee Aiava, Collins took umbrage at the crowd post-match who were unified in their support of her opponent.

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Reacting by blowing them sarcastic kisses after she won, Collins added fuel to the flames with her post-match interview where she highlighted just who was going to be paying for her next holiday.

"I was thinking during the match, 'if I'm out here, I might as well just take that big fat pay cheque!'," Collins said at the time, before doubling down in her press conference. 

"The people that don't like you and the people that hate you, they actually pay your bills," she added on Thursday.

As such, it was no surprise when Collins walked out to face compatriot Madison Keys in the late match on Rod Laver Arena to a chorus of boos.

Watch incredible scenes as Collins trolls booing home crowd with celebrations

Video credit: TNT Sports

Keys walked out first to polite applause, but the Aussie crowd reserved no such courtesy to Collins. 

"She had a chuckle about it," said Simon Reed on commentary, as Collins managed a rueful smile as she walked to her chair. 

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It didn’t stop there either, with every shot Collins missed being greeted with jeers in the opening set, while Keys found herself with plenty of support as a result.

"It’s hysterical, it has a sense of humour to it… for me, perfect. I would never do it, but perfect," was Mats Wilander’s take on the way Collins handled the crowd on Thursday. 

"It’s very authentic, very honest. She’s saying ‘this is who I am, take it or leave it'. She’s not in a popularity contest, she’s there to win matches," added Tim Henman.

'They're paying my bills!' - Collins says she 'loved' partisan crowd after dramatic win

Video credit: TNT Sports

As for John McEnroe, he was notorious for showing his emotions on court - albeit with most of his ire reserved for the officials and his opponents. So, he is uniquely placed to comment on his fellow American’s antics.

"I looked at her and said 'we are cut from the same cloth'," McEnroe said. "You’ve got to love it, come on. The last time someone had the guts to do something like that was Medvedev [in New York]."

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