By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Saturday, May 10, 2025
Photo credit: Credit One Charleston Open Facebook
When Danielle Collins’ first serve strays, she sometimes dials up memories of her tennis hero to subdue stress.
Collins served only 47 percent today yet demolished Iga Swiatek’s second serve dethroning the defending chamption 6-1, 7-5 to reach the Rome round of 16.
Afterward, Collins shared her source of strength when her first serve flies: 2008 Olympic gold-medal champion Elena Dementieva.
Despite an almost side-arm slice serve that sometimes deserted her, Dementieva was a major force reaching a couple of Grand Slam finals, rising to a career-high ranking of No. 3 and capturing 16 career titles.
Former AO finalist Collins credited her tennis hero, Dementieva, with inspiring her to keep fighting when her first serve isn’t landing.
“Growing up, I watched a lot of Elena Dementieva. Elena Dementieva made a career for herself not making many first serves,” Collins told the media in Rome after stunning Swiatek for her third career Top-2 triumph. “That was a really tough shot for her. She had so many other special parts of her game that made her the player she was. She was athletic.
“Sometimes when I have a bad serving day I think about Elena Dementieva and all of the things she was able to achieve even when the serve or first serve wasn’t working well for her.”
Recalling the Russian’s resourcefulness helped fuel Collins relentlessness today.
“It just shows you you can have one area of your game not be effective one day, but if you have other skills and talent, you can apply that and really achieve some great things,” Collins said. “She’s inspiring to me at times.”
