Danielle Collins rejected a bouquet of flowers after playing the last US Open match of her career because she didn’t want to feel like ‘Gaylord’ – a fictional character played by Ben Stiller in the 2000 movie Meet the Parents.
Collins brutally lost in the first round of her final Grand Slam tournament before her retirement, suffering a shock defeat to fellow American star Caroline Dolehide.
She left the court in a hurry as tournament director Stacey Allaster awkwardly tried to present her with a huge bouquet of flowers to celebrate her career.
Speaking in her post-match press conference, after world No.49 Dolehide won 1-6 7-5 6-4, 11th-seed Collins explained why she rejected the pre-planned send-off.
‘I’m not somebody that likes to celebrate my accomplishments,’ Collins, 30, said after her surprise early exit at Flushing Meadows.
‘I’ve struggled with feeling guilt around success. I’m not great about having an all about me moment. I’d prefer to do something like that maybe in private.
‘I feel like I’ve gotten enough attention to last a lifetime. I was thinking of that movie Meet the Parents or Meet the Fockers where Gaylord has his shrine and all his 18th place medals. I don’t wanna be like Gaylord – so I think I’m good!’
Who is Danielle Collins?
Danielle Collins is an American tennis player born in St. Petersburg, Florida. She has won four WTA Tour titles so far and her career-high ranking is world No.7.
The 30-year-old is currently ranked world No.11 and she impressively clinched the Miami Open trophy earlier this year.
Her best Grand Slam performance to date came two years ago when she finished as a runner-up at the Australian Open.
Who is ‘Gaylord’ from Meet the Parents?
Meet the Parents is a 2000 comedy film starring Ben Stiller in the lead role, while there a number of other famous faces in the film, including Robert De Niro.
The character played by Stiller is Greg Focker, although his name is later revealed to actually be ‘Gaylord’.
There have been two follow-up movies, including Meet the Fockers (2004) and Little Fockers (2010).
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