A television cameraman was accused of showing ‘wildly inappropriate’ behaviour during Emma Raducanu’s clash with Danielle Collins in Strasbourg on Wednesday afternoon.
The former British No1 had showed off some of her most composed and thoughtful tennis to claim the first set on French soil, but struggled going into the second as Collins roared back.
Raducanu was forced to call for a medical timeout at 5-0 after she appeared to suffer a lower back issue, and was treated off court.
When she returned to action, Collins was quick to wrap up the second set and force a decider, with Raducanu up for the fight in the early stages of the third.
But during a change of ends in the later stages of the match, both players may have been put off by the cameraman seeking to give fans at home the closest possible look at the tournament.
Collins was keen to refill her branded water bottle at the fountain next to the umpire’s chair, but quickly grew frustrated with the cameraman who she believed was getting in her way as he filmed her during the break.
Danielle Collins was incensed by the behaviour of the cameraman filming the players during her battle with Emma Raducanu
The former world No7 was keen to fill up her water bottle during a testing moment in the third
Raducanu had been on top during the early stages of the contest before a second-set dip
‘I need to get water,’ the American star pointed out. ‘We’re on a changeover.
‘You don’t need to be that close to me, and you don’t need to be on top of Emma.
‘It’s wildly inappropriate.’
As the cameraman backed off, it became clear how close he had been standing to the waiting players, with Collins telling Raducanu that she was ‘sorry’ as she filled up her bottle.
Heading back on court however, hostilities resumed, with Collins sweeping the set to claim the hard-fought 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory.
Collins has shown little fear of being an outspoken presence on the tour over the course of her impressive career, with her nickname ‘the Danimal’ offering fans a hint of her at times explosive personality.
At the start of the year, the 31-year-old attracted the ire of fans in Australia by boasting about her ‘big fat cheque’ and slapping her backside after beating home favourite Destanee Aiava in front of a hostile Melbourne crowd at the Australian Open.
Collins was subsequently labelled a ‘brat’ by local news organisations, but had doubled down on her comments in a later press conference.
As the cameraman backed away it became clear how close he had been standing to Raducanu
After suffering an injury scare in the second set Raducanu clung on but could not fight back
Collins said: ‘Well I’m going to be here for two hours, putting up with all these people, I might as well take the bigger pay check, right?’
‘I was super happy to do that and one of the greatest things about being a professional athlete are that the people that don’t like you and that hate you, they actually pay your bills.
‘Every person that has bought a ticket and has come out here to heckle me can do what they do. It’s all going towards the Danielle Collins fund. So like, yeah, bring it on I love it.’
Collins was similarly unapologetic after Wednesday’s victory, as she prepares to do better than her finalist’s run in France last year.
‘To be good at anything, self expression is really important,’ Collins said in her on-court interview. ‘There aren’t many successful people that feel like they can’t be themselves.
‘I’m a competitor at the end of the day. I’m not meek and mild.’
