Danielle Collins takes aim at "keyboard warriors" after revealing herniated disc made her cry at Cincinnati Open

Danielle Collins sees your posts, and she's had enough.

The former Australian Open finalist took aim at "keyboard warriors" after she confessed that injury was responsible for a puzzling scene in her first-round loss to fellow American Taylor Townsend in Cincinnati on Friday.

Throughout the straight-sets loss, Collins' form fluctuated, and her serve speeds dipped, leading Tennis Channel commentator Lindsay Davenport to suspect that Collins may have been playing through injury. Things came to a head early in the second-set tiebreaker, where Collins was heard screaming and crying off-camera, and at one stage was heard yelling, "Why is this happening to me?" towards her team seated in the stands.

Townsend eventually won the match, 6-4, 7-6(2), while all involved were unclear just what caused the former Top 10 player to be so upset.

On Sunday, Collins pulled back the curtain, saying that she was playing through the pain of a herniated disc. But she went on to condemn commentary she saw online her in the aftermath of the defeat, after posts that called her "spoiled," and the "meltdown" "embarrassing" and "sad."

Stream a replay of Collins vs. Townsend in Cincinnati on the Tennis Channel App

As she sarcastically thanked "everyone who's been praying for my injury," Collins also earnestly thanked Townsend, her U.S. Billie Jean King Cup teammate, for being "the best of the best" for a classy post-match gesture. After Collins left the court in tears without even stopping to pack her bags, Townsend picked up her opponent’s bag and returned it to her team.

"It’s no surprise the keyboard warriors can't understand or relate, as they've been too busy sitting on their asses judging people who show up and try to give it their best even on days that suck," she also said in her Instagram story.

Collins' latest physical flare-up follows well-documented struggles with rheumatoid arthritis and endometriosis, the latter of which has extended her tennis career by another year. The 31-year-old has described 2025 as a bonus season in her tennis career; having intended to retire from the sport last year, Collins made the decision in October to continue playing into 2025 after detailing that fertility struggles would delay her desire to start a family.

“The DANIMAL story has not reached its conclusion,” she wrote in the fall, but her year to date hasn't seen the form that took her to the 2022 final in Melbourne, or to a Top 10 return last year after she won titles in Miami and Charleston. Currently ranked No. 57, Collins has only won more than two matches at one of 13 tournaments played this season.

After her latest tournament ended, Collins said she's getting some rest and relaxation alongside one of her beloved pups, Quincy.

"Shout out Mr. Q for always having my back (literally)!" she wrote in another Story slide. "Dogs are the best. We can all take a note out of their play book."