Danielle Collins appeared to revel in playing the part of pantomime villain at the Australian Open on Thursday as she took down home favorite Destanee Aiava 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 in front of a raucous crowd.

Count Novak Djokovic as being in Danielle Collins’ corner. He thinks her response to booing fans at the Australian Open was absolutely fine — which should come as no surprise, given the way Djokovic gets into back-and-forths with hecklers at his matches,

Danielle Collins has long been one of women's tennis' most fiery competitors. But after her tight second-round Australian Open win over Australian underdog Destanee Aiava, Collins showed she can bring it with the crowd, too.

Danielle Collins got into a back-and-forth with a booing crowd at the Australian Open after eliminating a local player, blowing kisses to the spectators and repeating the phrase, “How about that?!”

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 16: Danielle Collins of the United States celebrates winning match point in the Women’s Singles Second Round match against Destanee Aiava of Australia during day five of the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 16, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Novak Djokovic said that he loved Danielle Collins’ strong response to the crowd that booed her during the clash against Destanee Aiava in the second round.

Danielle Collins thanked a hostile Australian Open crowd for helping to fund her next vacation after beating its last home hope in the women’s draw. Collins beat Destanee Aiava 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-2 to set up a third-round meeting with U.

Danielle Collins thanked her haters for paying her bills at the Australian Open, and this is the kind of energy more people need to have. As much as athletes probably hope a crowd is for them during matches,

Blowing kisses to the booing fans, Danielle Collins caused a storm during her match 😅 Now, Djokovic has weighed in on the controversy 👀

The 31-year-old American embraced being the villain in her second-round victory over Australia's Destanee Aiava.