As Danielle Collins walks out to Rod Laver Arena on Saturday night (local time), you may hear a few boos.

Well, that’s a result of a heated second round match, where the American made herself Melbourne Park’s newest pantomime villain.

And it’s exactly what spurs Collins on.

The Sporting News explains.

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Why is Danielle Collins being booed?

Collins was on the receiving end of a cacophony of boos when she beat local hope Destanee Aiava on Thursday.

Despite the partisan atmosphere from the get-go, the American won the opening set via tiebreak, before blowing a sarcastic kiss to the crowd.

The No. 10 seed appeared to be frustrated by the raucous support, at one point telling a fan at KIA Arena to “shut up”. 

Collins went on to win in three sets before responding to the crowd immediately after match point.

The 31-year-old cupped her hand around her ear, blew more sarcastic kisses and even tapped her backside, leading to heavy boos from the local fans. 

She explained post-match how the behaviour of the crowd spurred her on. 

“One of the greatest things about being a professional athlete is the people that don’t like you and the people that hate you, they actually pay your bills. It’s kind of a cool concept,” Collins said.

“Obviously my professional career is not going to last forever. So I just remind myself every day when I have that kind of stuff, they’re paying my bills.

“Every person that’s bought a ticket to come out here and heckle me or do what they do, it’s all going towards the Danielle Collins Fund.

“Yeah, bring it on. I love it.”

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Collins will take on fellow American Madison Keys in the third round.

Their match will follow Jannik Sinner vs. Marcos Giron on Rod Laver Arena.

And she may find support from the local fans in attendance hard to come by…