"I love being around the kids, they bring so much energy" - Danielle Collins on her fondness for children and inspiring the younger generation

Danielle Collins has stated that she loves kids and the energy they bring, which is why she loves to interact with and inspire them.

Collins has been in action in Montreal this week at the Canadian Open. She entered the tournament in the qualifying rounds, where she beat Eugenie Bouchard and Emina Bektas to book her spot in the main draw.

The World No. 48 then defeated the likes of Elina Svitolina, Maria Sakkari, and Leylah Fernandez without dropping a set to reach her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal since the 2022 Miami Open. Her run, however, came to an end on Friday, August 11, at the hands of Iga Swiatek, who won their clash 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

At the press conference after the match, the American was asked about her taking time out of her busy schedule to interact with kids, sign autographs, and pose for pictures.

Collins stated that she loves interacting with them and that she hoped to inspire them. She further said that she has always loved playing with children even at the IMG Academy where she trains.

"I feel like I love kids, and any time I can try to inspire the younger generation and interact with the kids it's great. Unfortunately, a lot of other people don't get to really see that, but yeah, I love being around the kids. I feel like they bring so much energy," she expressed.

"Any time I can help out and try to get on the court with the kids, I always jump in. Even when I'm training at IMG, there's been a couple of times with the 10 and under camp where I jump in for 30 minutes and play with the little ones. So I love the kids," she added.

The 29-year-old further stated that she plans to go to New York and take part in a kids clinic before the start of the US Open.

"I just reached out to someone in New York who does a grassroots program and wanted to get in there and hop in the kids clinic before the start of the US Open, so I do a lot with the kids," she said.

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"From an energy perspective that probably had a big effect on the match" - Danielle Collins on her defeat to Iga Swiatek

Danielle Collins in action at the 2023 Citi Open.

Danielle Collins' 2023 Canadian Open defeat to Iga Swiatek was the second of her career to the Pole (besides a retirement). She now trails the top-ranked player 1-3 in the head-to-head.

While Collins emerged victorious in the 2020 Australian Open semifinals, Swiatek defeated her earlier this year in Doha. The two first faced off in Adelaide in 2021, where the American had to retire from the match while trailing 6-3, 2-0.

Looking back at their latest meeting in Montreal, Collins stated that playing six matches in a week played a part in the drop in her levels in the third set against Swiatek, which cost her the contest.

"Yeah [I felt that fatigue in the third set], I mean, I think this many matches in I think from an energy perspective that probably had a big effect on the match," she said.

The home favorite, however, refused to take anything away from Swiatek's performance and praised the Pole on her win.

"I don't want to take away from Iga's performance. I think the way she was hitting her shots and her precision and what she was doing tactically was great. So, yeah, it was a good match," she said.