Collins became Melbourne Park’s pantomime villain on Thursday when she said fans who heckled her were contributing towards “the Danielle Collins fund” and she would use her prize money on a trip to the Bahamas.

Against Keys, there were cheers when Collins made her first double fault and, at the end of the first set, the chair umpire reminded fans to respect both players.

But Collins, who was also hampered by a knee injury and had to take a medical timeout, said it is important to “bring some entertainment” to the sport.

“I don’t have a big ego when it comes to this stuff, I don’t care what some guy sitting in his basement is writing about me,” she added. “I’m just trying to enjoy my life and have fun.

“You can’t please everybody. Earlier in my career I was more concerned about what people think and I was much more guarded about my personality.

“Maybe with age comes an attitude of being yourself and accepting who you are. I’m proud of myself, I’ve gotten to the point where I really don’t care anymore about what people who aren’t important to me think.”

Collins will now be taking that trip to the Bahamas and added “a lot of my friends have asked if they’re going to be invited on the yacht”.