Contestant Danielle Collins discloses inappropriate behavior by a cameraman who kissed her, and shared experiences of being taunted as a 'b****' by sexist crowd members during a Grand Slam tournament.
In a candid interview, American tennis player Danielle Collins has opened up about her experiences with sexism and misogyny in the world of tennis. The 31-year-old, who has won four career titles and reached the final of the Australian Open Grand Slam, has been vocal about the challenges female athletes face in the sport.
One notable example Collins shared was an incident early in her career, where a cameraman made an unwanted advance after a tough match. After losing a long three-set match and feeling drained and cramping, a persistent cameraman approached her, apologized, and asked for a hug. However, the situation quickly escalated when the cameraman attempted to kiss her and "started making out with the side of [her] face." This unwanted advance was shocking to Collins and is a clear instance of harassment she had to endure on the tour.
More recently, during a match in Strasbourg earlier in the year, Collins publicly called out a cameraman for being "wildly inappropriate." She defended herself for asserting her need for personal space at work, highlighting ongoing challenges female athletes face just to maintain basic boundaries during their professional duties.
Collins has also spoken about dealing with misogyny throughout her career, including facing criticism for being outspoken and handling the pressures and prejudices female players often encounter in the tennis world. She takes pride in being called a "b****" as she believes it is often directed at strong, assertive women she admires.
In addition to these specific incidents, Collins has revealed that she often experiences interactions with "weird men" who stalk her at events and follow her to hotels. She also spoke about stalking issues for tennis stars, stating that many people outside of the sport are not aware of the issue.
British No1 Emma Raducanu has also been a victim of stalking, with a "fixated man" being removed by security after she spotted him at the Dubai Tennis Championship. The stalker, who had previously stalked Raducanu in Singapore, the UAE, and Qatar, had given her a letter and asked for a photo in a coffee shop the day before. The stalker was handed a restraining order from Dubai police and his name was circulated among tennis authorities.
Collins says that whenever she voices an opinion on a situation, it is because she has reached "boiling point" after sitting on it for a "very long time." She believes it is important to speak out against inappropriate behavior and to raise awareness about the challenges female athletes face in the sport.
Sources: [1] https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/57081766 [2] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/21/sports/tennis/danielle-collins-sexual-harassment-tennis.html [3] https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/danielle-collins-sexual-harassment-tennis-b1803730.html [4] https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/32663342/danielle-collins-calls-out-wildly-inappropriate-cameraman-strasbourg-open [5] https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/56992823 [6] https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/danielle-collins-stalker-dubai-tennis-championship-b1997332.html
Tennis, like other sports, has been a platform for Danielle Collins to share her experiences with gender-based harassment. In particular, she recounted an incident where a cameraman crossed professional boundaries after a match, eventually attempting to kiss her. More recently, during a match in Strasbourg, Collins called out a cameraman for inappropriate behavior, emphasizing the importance of upholding personal space in the workplace, a challenge often faced by female athletes.
