Inspired by Charli xcx, Collins embraces 'brat' label at Australian Open

When Danielle Collins learned that 63-year-old Australian sports presenter Tony Jones had labeled her a "brat" following her defeat of local favorite Destanee Aiava in the Australian Open second round, she could only laugh.

Then, she took to social media to clap back, writing: "I love when these old dudes like Tony know the vibe."

One of the most critically and commercially successful albums of 2024 was Charli xcx's "Brat," where the British singer redefined the term as a celebration of hedonism and indifference to others' opinions. Unbeknownst to Jones, the "brat summer" vibe -- coined after the album's ubiquity and its lime-green branding -- felt perfectly suited to Collins this week.

The American had drawn headlines and divided opinion with her postmatch banter with a rowdy Rod Laver Arena crowd on Thursday. The No.10 seed had cupped her ear, blown kisses and reminded everyone heckling her that they had helped pay for her upcoming five-star vacation. No wonder she had referenced Charli xcx with glee on both social media and in her press conference following her third-round loss to Madison Keys on Saturday.

Among the fans of her approach was Novak Djokovic.

"I loved her response," the 24-time major champion said Friday. "I loved it, everything she said on the court, off the court. Big fan of Danielle Collins after that. I was before, but now, big fan."

Collins was greeted by a smattering of boos as she walked out for her match against Keys, and the crowd were firmly in her compatriot's corner. But following her 6-4, 6-4 loss, Collins was unrepentant. As she reminded the press, the banter simply wasn't that deep.

"I feel like people take life way too seriously sometimes," she said. "I think in our sport, it's like somebody was telling me that the average age of people watching and the fans of tennis is, like, 65. I think we need to kind of bring some entertainment to the game. I think we can try to make jokes and laugh.

"I don't have a big ego when it comes to this. Honestly, I don't care what's written about me. I don't care what some guy living in his basement is writing on the internet. You know what I mean? I'm just trying to have fun. I'm just try to enjoy my life and have fun with it. All my friends on tour knew I was just being me and trying to make humor of the situation.

"Nobody got hurt. That's the main thing. This is sports. I don't think the banter is necessarily a terrible thing."

For most of her career, Collins' reputation as one of the Hologic WTA Tour's spicier characters has preceded her. It turns out that, all along, she was restraining herself. At the age of 31, and embarking on an unexpected bonus season after planning to retire last year, she doesn't intend to hold back any more. 

"Earlier in my career I was more concerned about what people think," she said. "I think I was much more guarded about my personality because, you know, I know I can be fiery, and I know that can rub people the wrong way. I never want to hurt someone's feelings or be disrespectful to someone that I'm competing against, especially the people that I really respect.

"I think maybe with age comes this attitude of, like, this is it. We're going to be ourselves. I'm going to accept who I am, and I'm going to just go for it. Something I'm really proud of is I just have gotten to the point where I really don't care any more about what people who aren't important to me think.

"That's been a really big thing, right? I think a lot of people, as they evolve and grow, whether you play professional tennis or not, you kind of go through different challenges. That's one that I feel like I've been able to really lean into and just get comfortable with."

That's why Collins' ultimate assessment of her 2025 Australian Open is of a tournament that was "emotionally so great for me." Now that it's over, she will presumably turn her attention to planning the five-star Bahamian vacation she promised fans (and haters). But first, there's some unfinished business with Jones.

With a glint in her an eye and a sarcastic apology to "everybody in the room that's over, like, 70," Collins laid down a challenge.

"I just love how he called me a brat," she said. "It's just so Gen Z and millennial right now with Charli xcx. I really want him to do the dance. He has to do it. I really want to get a one-on-one with him, and we got to do the dance, so..."