Danielle Collins has never been one to hold her tongue. She speaks freely about tennis, and no one has to guess at her opinions. This is definitely the case in terms of how she feels about Iga Swiatek.
The relationship has seemingly been cool for a while, but boiled over at the 2024 Olympics after Collins was injured in a match against the Pole. After the match, the American accused Swiatek of being "insincere" in how the Pole reacted to Collins' issue.
The implication was that while fans could see Swiatek's reaction on the court, once players enter the locker room, where no cameras are allowed, things are different. Swiatek hasn't responded to Collins' barbs over the last couple of years, and she doesn't need to. Likely, a fan is either going to believe Collins or not, and one is going to be a fan of Collins or Swiatek, but not both.
Danielle Collins doesn't think Iga Swiatek has much of a chance to win the Australian Open
Speaking on the Tennis Channel ahead of the start of the Australian Open, in which Collins isn't playing for health reasons, and Swiatek is seeded No. 2, the American gave her opinion on who might win the first Grand Slam of the year, and she doesn't think it will be the Pole.
To be sure, Iga Swiatek did not exactly begin 2026 in prime form. She lost twice in the United Cup tournament and was fairly easily thrashed by Coco Gauff. Maybe Swiatek just needed to shake off some of the rust of a couple of months away from high-stress matches, but that would likely be a reach.
Swiatek has won every other major except the one in Melbourne, where she has only reached the semifinals twice. She can be overpowered by bigger hitters on the hard surface, especially players such as two-time winner Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina (who the Pole could face in the quarterfinals should both make it that far).
Collins doesn't think Swiatek will be the one to make it to the quarters.
She said on the Tennis Channel, "It’s probably no surprise to people that follow tennis that I am going to go with Swiatek. I was a little bit concerned with her performance at the United Cup, two back-to-back losses, so I think there is a little bit of trouble in paradise for her right now."
In other words, according to Danielle Collins, Iga Swiatek is going to get bounced out of the Australian Open relatively early. Swiatek will at least have a chance to prove the American wrong. The major gets underway on Saturday, January 17, and the Pole will take on qualifier Yuan Yue.