"Danielle Collins is unapologetically herself, which is really cool" - Emma Navarro on emulating fellow American's 'expressive' on-court personality
Emma Navarro has expressed her admiration for fellow American Danielle Collins' expressive on-court personality. Navarro also opened up about the valuable lessons she's learned from Collins' authenticity and self-expression during matches.
Following her third-round finish at the Paris Olympics, Navarro has made a strong start to her North American hard court swing, booking her place in the semifinals of the Canadian Open. The 23-year-old claimed a commanding 6-3, 7-6(5) win over Taylor Townsend to inch closer to her maiden WTA 1000 title.
While Danielle Collins chose to skip the Canadian Open, she and Emma Navarro recently spent considerable time together representing Team USA at the Paris Olympics. Their connection is also reflected in their similar journeys to the professional tour, both opting for the college tennis route and winning NCAA singles championships at the University of Virginia.
Speaking in her post-match press conference, Navarro reflected on their contrasting on-court personalities, disclosing that she had learned a lot from Collins being "unapologetically herself" on the court. The 23-year-old opened up about emulating her compatriot and comporting herself authentically during matches without worrying about other people's opinions.
"Yeah, for sure. We have very different on-court personalities, for sure, but I think she's taught me a little bit about how to just be yourself, and not everyone's going to like how you go about things, but don't let that get to you. She's, yeah, very outgoing and expressive on the court, and she's unapologetically herself, which I think is really cool," Navarro said.
The World No. 15 also emphasized that Danielle Collins was "very supportive" off the court, fondly recalling them cheering each other on during the Olympics.
"Yeah, off court she's been just super supportive. We got to play in the Olympics together and cheer each other one, so that was really cool," she added.
"Danielle Collins is not afraid to kind of get in your face... She taught me a lot" - Jessica Pegula
Jessica Pegula echoed Emma Navarro's sentiments about Danielle Collins' "entertaining" personality before the 2024 French Open, expressing her appreciation for the 30-year-old's fearlessness about getting in her opponents' faces.
Speaking on NBC's sports podcast 'The French Connection,' Pegula admitted that she had learned a lot from Collins' tendency to inject drama in a contest and her confidence in being herself during matches.
"Yeah, I'm a big Danielle Collins fan. I think she's great, I think she's entertaining. I think she's such a great personality, especially as a woman. She's not afraid to kind of get in your face and I think that sometimes people might get offended by that, maybe being a female, but she's not afraid to back down," Pegula said.
"Honestly, I feel like she kind of taught me a lot. I remember playing with her like world team tennis at the beginning and she sometimes... You got to throw a little extra drama in there and... She's just not afraid to like completely be herself on the court," she added.
Danielle Collins' penchant for drama was on display at the Paris Olympics, as she sparked controversy by rebuffing Iga Swiatek's "insincere" condolences about her injury.