Play tennis. Cash checks. Repeat.
That’s Danielle Collins’s motto. Fiery and intense with an insatiable desire to win, on the court Collins is all business. Her competitiveness, fearless attack and steely glares is how she got her nickname—the Danimal. However, there’s a fun and playful side to the two-time NCAA singles champ and former Top 10 player.
"It's funny because off the court, I’m just Danielle—laid back, love cracking jokes and hanging out with friends and family,” says Collins. “But the second there’s a game involved, that competitive side flips on.”
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One of those off-court diversions has become pickleball. Collins appreciates the sport’s low barrier to entry and communal atmosphere. It allows her to enjoy and compete in a racquet sport with people she couldn’t otherwise on a tennis court.
“I get to play pickleball with a lot of my friends and we immediately enjoy playing it. To me this is one of the main reasons it's grown so much and why I feel it's brought a lot of new people to racquet sports,” says Collins. “It's fun right away and then there's this comradery surrounding the sport. You can play with your mom, your friend, kids, neighbors and have fun right from the start."
