"Looks like Danielle Collins is being insincere" - Iga Swiatek fans ridicule American over her "mind games" in Monterrey Open 2R loss

Danielle Collins has been ridiculed by Iga Swiatek loyalists over a moment of gamesmanship that the American displayed during her second-round loss at the ongoing Monterrey Open. Swiatek's fans have accused Collins of hypocrisy after the latter called out the Pole for a similar show of gamesmanship during the pair's 2024 Paris Olympics quarterfinal clash.

Collins, the No. 1 seed in Monterrey, received a first-round bye and faced Russia's Erika Andreeva in the second round. The 2022 Australian Open finalist comprehensively outplayed Andreeva in the first set, winning it 6-1 and looking in cruise control. Astonishingly though, Andreeva staged a remarkable turnaround and won the second and third sets by a margin of 6-3.

During the decisive third set, with Andreeva serving to level things up 3-3 and leading 40-30, Collins delayed the Russian's serve by holding up her racquet. An Iga Swiatek fan on X (formerly Twitter) posted an image of the moment, writing sarcastically:

"Play at the server’s pace"

This was a dig at Collins, who muttered the same words when Swiatek did pretty much the same thing during their controversy-marred encounter at the Paris Games.

Soon, other Swiatek fans chimed in, with some taking swipes at the American over her own gamesmanship.

"She made such a fool out of herself by making this Iga drama, and now acting the same," a fan wrote.

"I might be wrong but it looks like she's being insincere," commented another fan, referring to Collins' harsh words for Swiatek following their quarterfinal showdown at the Olympics.

Some fans voiced their takes on the incident through images and GIFs.

Others expressed their disgust at Collins' behavior.

"I can no longer feel anything good for this woman! And I hope she loses now!" wrote a fan.

"Oh danyell playing mind games? Who would have thought LMAOOO," another fan weighed in.

"I still don't understand where Danielle Collins' comment came from" - Iga Swiatek

Danielle Collins (L) and Iga Swiatek (R) after their 2024 Paris Olympics quarterfinal clash (Source: Getty)

In a recent interview with Polish sports media outlet WP SportoweFakty, the World No. 1 was quizzed about what Collins said about her at a press conference following the pair's match at the Olympics. Swiatek maintained that she could not understand where Collins' critique of her stemmed from, having earlier expressed this take at a presser herself.

"To this day, I still don't understand where her comment came from. I decided there was no point in looking into it. I focused on myself. I'm a professional, and things like that don't affect how I play tennis later on," Swiatek told WP SportoweFakty (translated from Polish).

Swiatek and Collins' will next be seen at the 2024 US Open, where main draw matches are slated to start on Monday, August 26. This year's edition of the prestigious hardcourt Major will mark Collins' final appearance at Flushing Meadows, as she inches closer to her retirement from tennis.