Tennis star who angered Australian Open fans issues emotional address at Italian Open

pulled off a huge upset at the Italian Open on Saturday, breezing past defending champion and No. 2 seed 6-1 7-5. The American hit headlines in January when she riled up the booing fans at the Australian Open, .

But she let her tennis do the talking at the Foro Italico, Afterwards, Collins shared an emotional insight into her tennis journey, explaining just how much the sport had shaped her.

It's already been a rollercoaster season for Collins, who previously planned to retire at the end of 2024 before her circumstances changed and she decided to keep playing.

The world No. 35 started the year with a bang, making a big impression in Melbourne when she hit back at the hostile crowd and told them: "One of the greatest things about being a professional athlete is the people that don't like you and the people that hate you, they actually pay your bills. It's all going towards the Danielle Collins Fund. Bring it on. I love it."

Collins was then unable to defend her title at the Miami Open and, after losing in the Charleston quarter-final in April, she was sidelined for a month before returning in Rome this week.

The 31-year-old has already made a statement on the European clay, taking out reigning champion Swiatek in the third round. It's Swiatek's earliest exit at a WTA 1000 tournament since 2021.

After getting just her second win in nine meetings with the world No. 2, Collins got candid during her on-court interview, explaining just how much went into her career.

"I think it's shaped me so much. Coming from a pretty humble beginning, I think it's hard getting into tennis," the former world No. 7 told the Campo Centrale crowd.

"Tennis is an expensive sport and my parents did everything for me. They were working double jobs, extra hours to be able to fund this.

"To be able to come out here and live out my dream. I was never a child prodigy, I had an unconventional route. But that hard work and perseverance has really made me into the person that I am."

It's been more than three years since Collins last got a win over Swiatek, beating her in the 2022 Australian Open semi-final.

Explaining how she got the win on Saturday, the American said: "My priority today was to go out and be consistent with the shots that I was hitting.

"Obviously with my game style, I play a pretty aggressive game style. Sometimes that can go one way or another. It can look really great and flashy, and other times you can miss some shots.

"But I think having the confidence and trusting myself in those big moments to go after it, to trust my athleticism and to really just like not be afraid to go after my shots in those big moments, I think was key."