Danielle Collins says fans ‘do not know the reality’ of what takes place behind the scenes on tour.

The American recently sparked a social media frenzy with her frosty expression when shaking hands with Iga Swiatek at the United Cup. Swiatek’s career has been rocked by a doping scandal in which she was handed a one-month ban last year.

The ITIA found her to be at the ‘lowest end of the range’ for no significant fault of negligence. But that hasn’t stopped the likes of Nick Kyrgios speaking out on the dark shadow her and Jannik Sinner’s cases have cast over the sport.

Fans thought they spotted Collins taking a stand against Swiatek, with their handshake going viral online. Collins then kicked things up a notch by zooming in on her face at the exact moment of the handshake and making it her Instagram profile picture.

Before her opening match at the Australian Open on Monday, she was asked about her awkward moment with the Pole. And while Collins did not divulge her true feelings on Swiatek, the 31-year-old admitted she is sometimes forced into situations she does not like.

“We all compete hard against each other and give it our all,” she said. “Most of us are pretty cool about shaking hands with each other at the end of the day. I’m a human. I have situations I like, situations I don’t like, things that happen.

“All these memes keep coming up on Instagram of my face… my face says it all! But, you know, I’m just somebody that’s pretty genuine about what I’m thinking and feeling, and I’ll also laugh at myself too.

“I know I can be this way. It’s not always the greatest but I try to poke fun at myself and not take myself too seriously. I would encourage other people to do the same. If we can’t laugh at ourselves and take things light-heartedly, what the heck are we doing?

“So much gets taken out of context, and fans think they know players personally, they think they know the ins and outs of what takes place on a daily basis, but the reality is they really don’t. I’m just trying to make fun of myself now.”

Collins is bidding for Grand Slam glory in Melbourne – the site of her best major performance when, in 2022, she made it to the final. The American is due to come up against Daria Snigur of Ukraine on Monday.