"With women, it becomes way bigger issue" - Danielle Collins breaks silence on Iga Swiatek controversy at Paris Olympics & patching things up
Danielle Collins spoke about the heated conversation she had with Iga Swiatek at the 2024 Paris Olympics in a recent interview. The incident created a lot of buzz in the tennis world, and both women have since given their accounts of what occurred.
Collins and Swiatek butted heads in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics on July 31. The match ended prematurely as the American retired midway through the final set due to an abdominal injury. During the third set, a backhand shot from Collins hit Swiatek on her chest, leaving her in pain.
After deciding to quit the contest, Collins approached Swiatek to shake her hand and gave the Pole an earful. Swiatek was seen befuddled by Collins' speech. In a press interaction after the match, Collins stated that she confronted Swiatek as she believed that the then-World No. 1 was insincere about her chest pain.
Swiatek, in retort, argued that she did not know why Collins confronted her in such a fashion. The American was recently asked about the event during an interview with The Atlantic and downplayed the magnitude of the incident.
The former Australian Open finalist also acknowledged her shortcomings and stated she could have and should have taken a different approach.
"I think what happened on the court is very much just like sometimes people have friction at work. For most people, it's not on the news. I'm trying to be the best person that I can be, but that's not to say that I don't fall short of that. I could have taken a different approach and done some things differently. But we had a moment there on court," Danielle Collins said.
When asked if Collins had any contact with Swiatek since the Paris Olympics, the American replied that she and the Pole do not move around the tour in the same circle and felt the five-time Grand Slam champion is "very guarded" by her people. Moreover, Collins called out the media for blowing the situation out of proportion and opined that a similar incident in the men's tour would not get this much scrutiny.
"She's not someone that I really get to see a lot at the tennis and she's very guarded with her group. We all make mistakes and fall short. And I'm just trying to put that behind me. I think when guys kind of get into a little tiff or a little bit of friction, I think that it's kind of expected. With women, it becomes this way bigger issue than it really needs to be. There's a lot of extrapolation," Collins added.
Danielle Collins is currently competing in Billie Jean King Cup Finals 2024
Danielle Collins' most recent comment about the Iga Swiatek incident from the Olympics came before she was set to represent her nation at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals. The 30-year-old is currently in Malaga, Spain, for the tournament and is joined by Peyton Stearns, Ashlyn Krueger, Taylor Townsend, and Caroline Dolehide.
The USA is up against Slovakia in the first round at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals and the victor will face fourth seed Australia in the quarterfinals. The tournament was initially supposed to be Collins' farewell tournament as the American had announced at the start of the year that the 2024 WTA season would be the final of her career.
The American's desire to start a family and health challenges was central to her decision to retire. However, Collins shocked the tennis world on October 17 when she took to social media to announce that she had postponed her retirement after her endometriosis, which prompted her to rethink.