Danielle Collins serves as new coach to learn “calm” and how she overcomes Sweetke in Rome
Chris Oddo| @thefanchild | Saturday, May 10, 2025
Danielle CollinsClay Master? That’s usually Iga Swiatekbut after the Americans finished six games with the three-time Rome champions on Saturday at Foro Italico, it was time for the 31-year-old Florida native to deserve it.
She has been ostensibly 23-6 since the beginning of 2024, hoping she will be able to extend her stay in Rome in 16 rounds. Collins entered the semi-finals of Rome last year and will face Elina Svitolina next.
“I really like to get these games on clay,” she told reporters after beating four-time Roland-Garross titles 6-1, 7-5. “I really wish we had a longer clay court season. It’s part of the season I really like because I do think clay is special. It’s also good for the body compared to hard courts – I won’t lie.”
The explosion of the past
We haven’t heard a lot of players talking about Elena DementievaThe former world third-place winner, winning 16 titles, is considered one of the best players to have never won a professional, but when asked how she was able to play against Swiatek, Collins praised the Russian in a roundabout way, while she only earned 47.7% of the first place.
“Growing up, I watched a lot of Elena Dementieva…I didn’t do a lot of first place in her career,” Collins said. “It was a very tough shot for her. She had a lot of other special parts that made her her own player. She was athletic.
“Sometimes, when I have bad days, I think of Elena Dementieva and everything she can achieve, even if it doesn’t go well for her in service or the first one.
“It just shows that you can have one area of the game that doesn’t work for a day, but if you have other skills and talents, you can apply it and really achieve something great.”
Danielle Collins’ three-time champion in Rome surpasses Rome’s frustrated three-time champion 👇 pic.twitter.com/sjhubrylrf
– Tennis (@tennis_now) May 10, 2025
Overcome suspicion
For Collins, winning the Swiatek victory is an exercise in self-confidence. She talked about the fact that she felt she played some of the best tennis balls in her losses against Swiatek and just had to do more to win second place.
“I feel like Iga and I have played a lot of times at this point. When you lose the record against someone, you lose a lot of games, and I feel like you learn something from it,” she said. “I was able to adjust from the past losses and go well. I feel like my timing is really there, and I feel that the level of playing IGA and these top players does bring some of my top tennis sometimes, even if some of them aren’t gone.”
Collins said she was able to stay calm during the tightening time and it was obvious that when she dealt with Swiatek, she ranked match points at five out of five. She continued to play the ball and scored the last two games to finish the victory.
Of course, I think the nerves are always trying to help you cheer up and get the adrenaline going, and in those high pressure moments you end up trying to thrive at that moment, and I feel like my execution is really going on today, my shots are really dialed, I am very clear about what I need to do, I need to keep working hard and keep working hard, keep her guessing, and keep guessing, I did that. ”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SBHK_ASULY
New coach, new energy?
Collins has been working with new coach Fanni Varga and said her collaboration with former WTA players in Romania has helped her find a better emotional balance in tennis.
“I think it’s not easy after losing a lot of games with tough opponents and the best opponents in the world,” she said. “Just take it and learn from it. I feel like my coach is so calm, it’s a huge game-changer, helping me on the psychological side, it’s just so encouraging. And, when I need to take responsibility, it’s also a responsibility. It’s great to work with my new coach, I love her calmness and her energy, it’s really nice.”
“This is a balanced thing. I’m so heartbroken [at times] This is not bad for me. Today, it’s a very good balance and that’s what I’ve been working on. ” she said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzdio1eby5q
This seems a bit strange, as Collins is basically on a farewell trip in 2024 after announcing her retirement plan. But her personal life changed and she decided she would have more dedication. Perhaps the former Grand Slam finalist and now 31-year-old ranked seventh in the world will use her newfound clarity to a level she has never reached?
“I’ve been trying to get on the field and just focus on my game plan and try to do not have many highs, not too many lows because I can be a perfectionist,” she said. “Sometimes, it’s really good to be a perfectionist and end up allowing us to compete at the highest level, but sometimes we can’t handle it, and when you’re too far the opposite way, that can be negative.
