Joueuse en forme de l'armada américaine, Danielle Collins (10e WTA) s'est qualifiée pour le deuxième tour à Roland-Garros en dominant sa compatriote Caroline Dolehide 6-3, 6-4 au premier tour.
Category
🥇
SportTranscription
00:00Congratulations, a quick turnaround for you from last weekend to today, how did you feel
00:08on court?
00:09Yeah, I felt good.
00:10Obviously, I have a lot of matches under my belt at this point, and I've played a ton
00:15of hours on the clay courts.
00:18So yeah, I mean, it's a good thing.
00:19I feel like our clay court season isn't super long, so to be able to have as many matches
00:25as I have had, and to have a lot of wins on the clay, gives me a lot of confidence
00:31going into this.
00:33My math isn't great, but I think you've won 23 out of 26.
00:38Have you ever been in that kind of zone, whether it was grade school, high school, college,
00:43where you just felt that way?
00:46Yeah, I felt like in 2021, I was playing some really great tennis, and when I made the finals
00:53of the Australian Open, I was playing some great tennis, I just didn't get as much coverage.
00:58So I think it's been a little bit more, there's been more attention because I'm retiring at
01:03the end of the year.
01:04I'm getting a lot of questions about rethinking your position.
01:07I was in Charleston when I heard that, have you been hearing it around here too?
01:11Yeah.
01:12And your answer is still the same?
01:13Yes.
01:14Hi, Danielle.
01:15I was wondering, given all the circumstances and the context about your last year, are
01:23you already able also to enjoy this journey, this final year, given also you've got still
01:30a lot of big goals ahead of you?
01:31Yeah, a lot of big goals ahead of me, and definitely able to enjoy it.
01:36I mean, of course, the days at the courts are long and sometimes tedious, but it's part
01:44of the sport, and I feel like I really agree with Andy Roddick.
01:48I did a podcast with him a few weeks ago, and he said that when he retired, he didn't
01:54know if he was retiring from tennis or waiting around all day.
01:58And I kind of agree with that because I feel like so many of the hours we spend at the
02:03courts, we're actually not always on the courts.
02:06A lot of it revolves around waiting, rain delays, and so that's been interesting.
02:13Over the last couple of weeks, I've played last on many of the days, and we've had a
02:18lot of rain, which is out of our control, but we do do a lot of waiting around, so that's
02:24not always that much fun.
02:26But aside from that, I feel like I'm enjoying these last tournaments and really just taking
02:31it all in.
02:37Just to follow up on that, Danielle, is your confidence now higher than it ever was?
02:42I know you had that run to the Australian Open final, but now when you step onto court,
02:45is it sort of at its peak at the moment?
02:48I don't think so.
02:51I feel like there's been a lot of conversation around, oh, you announced your retirement,
02:58and so perhaps you're playing more free.
03:02I don't really know what that means as a 30-year-old woman who has a lot of freedom in her life.
03:11I really am confused by that, but I feel like I've always had a good amount of confidence
03:18on the court.
03:20I feel like I've provided pretty boring conversation in the sense of it's a lot of hard work and
03:28figuring things out and figuring out how to make little adjustments on your shots and
03:33improve little by little technically and tactically, and I feel like I just keep putting people
03:37to sleep with that.
03:38But really, I think a lot of the success over the last couple of weeks and months is a product
03:45of things clicking because I have made those improvements, and I notice there's just not
03:51like a lot of conversation around what those improvements really are.
03:58But yeah, I think it's just been a bit of a process.
04:01I think people forget sometimes, too, that I didn't turn pro until later in life, and
04:07so I've really only been on tour for like, I don't know, six or seven years, right?
04:10So there's much younger people who have just as much experience as me, and it takes time.
04:16I don't think a lot of people on tour go into this and have really uber-successful careers.
04:25There are a few, of course, and especially some young ones that we're very well aware
04:30of, but it does take people time to be able to find their groove and find that success.
04:36It doesn't always just come like this.
04:39Hey, Danielle.
04:40Congrats on your win today.
04:42It's going to be Olga next.
04:44I'm sure you took a look at your draw, and your first match in Europe this year was against
04:48her, and it was a crazy one.
04:49I think you were down by a set and a break, ended up third set breaker, so I wonder what
04:53your thoughts are on that match, and also, what are your thoughts on the way you're playing
04:58now that you've been in Europe for a while, been on the red clay for a while, compared
05:01to what you were playing then?
05:03Yeah, I mean, I think one of the biggest factors this week compared to that week is the altitude.
05:10In Madrid, it's not drastic, but it does make a difference, and it does make a difference
05:15for many of the players.
05:16We all talk about that.
05:17We make adjustments within our game with our rackets, with our stringing, right?
05:22So very different conditions, different court speed.
05:27So yeah, I think it'll be a totally different matchup this week, but obviously, she's been
05:33playing some really great tennis and doing some great things out there, and definitely
05:37pushed me and challenged me in the last match that we played.
05:41So I'm definitely going to have to sit down, do my homework, and prepare for it at a high
05:46level, because she knows how to play some really high-level tennis.
05:51So I'm expecting to play a good match against her.
05:57Just going back to Strasburg, playing Madison, somebody you've known for 20 years now.
06:02What was that like, and how dangerous is she right now?
06:06Yeah, Madison's been playing some phenomenal tennis.
06:09I think Madrid, she either made semifinals, and then she made semis, quarters, and then
06:17finals.
06:18So obviously, since she's been playing on the clay, she's been improving each week,
06:23which is really exciting to see for my friend.
06:27I think Maddie's extremely dangerous, and has the capability to keep excelling with
06:33her tennis and her career.
06:35And yeah, she's proved that over the years, that she's one of the most dangerous players
06:39on tour.
06:42Yeah, I think we're all kind of very impressed with Maddie, and have been for a long time.
06:49Danielle, it seems like it's going to be one of those tournaments where there's going
06:52to be variable conditions.
06:54So today, perfect example, cold, wet, bit of rain, sun came out indoors at Chartrier,
07:00the roof was closed.
07:02How do you rate your ability to adjust to the different conditions?
07:05Because especially on clay, they make such a huge difference.
07:08Yeah, I think you're right.
07:10They really do make a big difference.
07:12You know, last week in Strasburg, we had a lot of rain, and with a lot of the rain came
07:19cooler temperatures immediately after the rain.
07:23And then lower, slower conditions.
07:26And then, you know, in the finals, we had a very sunny day that was, I think, suitable
07:31to both of our game styles.
07:35And much different, you know, higher bouncing, faster, balls going faster through the court.
07:41And then like today, raining, it got cooler.
07:45Then it was weird, it rained again.
07:47It got a little warmer.
07:49Some strange things happening with the weather.
07:52But I think one of the things tennis players don't get a lot of credit for is how flexible
07:58and versatile you have to be to be able to play at the highest level because each week
08:04the conditions can vary so differently from the week before.
08:08And like today, one hour was kind of, I don't want to say drastically different,
08:16but it was pretty significantly different than, you know, an hour later with the temperature.
08:23So I think just being prepared and being aware of it, I do think there maybe are some players
08:32that aren't always keeping an eye on the conditions or really thinking about it.
08:36But, you know, it's an important factor to consider for anyone.
08:42Do you want to ask a question?
08:43Yeah, I've listened to the podcast, which you mentioned with Enderodic, which I find
08:48amazing what you were telling that you sometimes travel alone because sometimes I can imagine
08:55it's nice to be on your own figuring things out by yourself.
08:59But sometimes I think you also want to share your experience and have getting some feedback
09:05about your tennis.
09:08How do you find a balance in that?
09:11Yeah, I think I'm able to balance it because I don't do every single week on my own.
09:16And I've been lucky that I've had a lot of coaches over the years that have been able
09:22to support me at different times at the capacity that they're able to.
09:25And, you know, I think the biggest challenge is like it's a huge ask.
09:31It doesn't matter how great of a tennis player you are, how successful you are.
09:34It is such a huge ask to ask someone like to travel with you 35 weeks out of the year
09:40to give up their family life to do this full time is very demanding.
09:45And while we do have a lot of fun, of course, on court, I mean, there are times that can
09:50be stagnant and maybe aren't as enjoyable.
09:53And it's hard for the coaches.
09:55It's really hard.
09:56And to be able to find the right fit for that lengthy of a commitment has been one of the
10:01biggest challenges I face because it's just it's a huge thing to ask someone to.
10:06And it's a huge commitment on so many levels.
10:10And I've been lucky.
10:12I like I said, I've my friend, my good friend, Ben Maxwell, is a college coach where I'm
10:20from in St. Pete, Florida.
10:21So he accompanies me sometimes on the road a few weeks out of the year.
10:25He obviously has the college schedule.
10:27So there's certain periods of time you just, you know, can't do it because he's got his
10:33full time career there.
10:36Ryan Harrison has traveled with me a bit.
10:39You know, Jared Jacobs as well has helped me out a lot.
10:43And I think the thing that I found really helpful when you're working with different
10:48people is you get different perspectives and then you can kind of like pick and choose
10:52sometimes like what works best for you.
10:54You're getting a lot of different and that I think sometimes the information can actually
10:59be kind of similar, but then there will be some differences and you can kind of figure
11:05out what works best for you and you learn more by hearing those different voices.
11:10So I found that to be really helpful for me.
11:13I know some players like to have kind of the same consistent person for years and years
11:18and that works well for them.
11:19But for me, I like having a little bit of variety.
11:22I think it keeps things fun and interesting.
11:25And I think it allows everybody to kind of have a healthy balance between, you know,
11:30being on the road professionally and doing these tournaments week in and week out and
11:36then also having a normal life outside of this.
11:39So do you now have here in Paris somebody, a coach with you?
11:45Ben is here this week.
11:46Oh, okay.
11:47Yeah.
11:48So it's been nice having him and his college team is actually on a like study abroad trip
11:57and so the team was there supporting.
11:59Yeah, so it's really nice.
12:01I get to see those, you know, kids like evolving throughout their career and see them when
12:08they come in as freshmen and then some of them are seniors and getting to travel and
12:14do this trip is really special and then getting to have them support me too is really nice.
12:18So it's, yeah, it's an exciting trip.
12:21And Danelle, you've been kind of grinding at a very high level since Miami and I was
12:27curious to know if that's something that has helped come along with experience, the
12:32ability to kind of cross continents, go to different venues and still keep that mental
12:36focus that you're keeping in every match, both mentally and physically.
12:40Is that something that you've been able to learn over time or would you say you
12:43always had that?
12:44Yeah, it's something that I've learned over time.
12:46And I think to be very honest, I think initially when I first started on tour, the travel was
12:52really hard and difficult for me.
12:54Of course, there were times that I enjoyed it and had fun and got to experience new cultures.
13:01But the week to weeks and hotels and honestly, a lot of times we don't really stay in like
13:08super nice hotels.
13:09I was in a tournament a few weeks ago and I was in a moldy room and moved hotels like
13:15four different times to try to get comfortable.
13:17And, you know, those are the things that we don't always get to see behind the scenes.
13:22But there's challenges, of course, when you're traveling.
13:25Flight delays, lost bags, right, all of the headaches that everyone else gets to experience.
13:31But it's a little more stressful when you're like traveling as a professional and you need
13:35to kind of have all your ducks in a row.
13:37And I think those first couple of years on the road were challenging for me.
13:43And I didn't really always enjoy those weeks because I didn't understand what I needed
13:53to do to like be comfortable.
13:56And so I think with experience, I've gotten better at being like, OK, I need certain things
14:04to make sure that I am comfortable so that I can be in the best head place possible and
14:09feel my happiest when I travel.
14:11It was really nice in Miami and in Charleston being able to have family and friends there
14:18and also get to visit with them on the weekends and not feel like I was just like in the tournament
14:23grind the whole time.
14:25I, you know, had my dog there too.
14:27That was especially nice.
14:28It's a little bit harder traveling with your dog through different continents that he's
14:32not here.
14:33But all of those things make a big difference.
14:35And I think to answer your question, I really have had to spend, I've had to make a concentrated
14:43effort on how to make the weeks on the road more enjoyable and more fun because being
14:49the homebody and introvert I am, sometimes like being in an environment where there's
14:55so many people, I like to, you know, be in my home and my comfy place.
15:02And the tennis doesn't really offer that.
15:08Thank you.
15:09Thank you.
15:10Thank you.
15:11Thank you.
15:12Thank you.
15:13Thank you.
15:14Thank you.
15:15Thank you.
15:16Thank you.
15:17Thank you.
15:18Thank you.
15:19Thank you.
15:20Thank you.
15:21Thank you.
15:22Thank you.