Danielle Collins is one the contenders ahead of the upcoming Australian Open. The American has reached the final last year and looks forward another deep run in the tournament, which she likes a lot. "Danimal" attended the pre-tournament press conference today, where she answered for a few questions about her feelings just before the start of AO 2023.
Collins moved back to the memories of last year, when she started the season after suffering Covid. The health issues prevented her from playing all the tournaments precending Australian Open in 2022. Danielle admitted, that she was fighting to recover on time and was even doubtful to play in Melbourne last year. Comparing with that, today Collins feels really comfortable after a couple of matches with valued opponents under her belt, which she played in Adelaide during last two weeks.
Danielle did not avoid the questions about the pressure ahead of the Grand Slam, where she defend a lot of points after last year's final appearance, having a spot in the main draw which foreshadows really challenging rivals on the road to another deep run.
"I don't know if I'm really feeling like a lot of pressure. I've been really focused and just trying to do what I need to do each day to improve within my game and try to get me to a point where I can get back to that level and try to make some deep runs. Being honest, I actually never look at the draw. We as tennis players and athletes have to focus on our process and that's how you ultimately get to the end result. I don't really ever look at the draws. No matter what kind of draw you have, you have to win your matches, so it doesn't matter who you play, especially at this level." - replied Collins, who seems to be relaxed and focused on her own preparations for the upcoming challenge.
Last year's finalist shared her great feelings about playing in Australian Open every year, saying that she loves being in Melbourne, use the city's attractions and just have the most fun of all the grand slams in the calendar.
Danielle Collins will face Anna Kalinskaya in the opening round on Monday in the morning session. Her possible opponents in the later stages can be Elena Rybakina, who defeated Collins two weeks ago in Adelaide (full story), or Iga Swiatek, who can try to take up the revenge for the last year's beatdown in AO semifinal, if both players survive until the Round of 16.
