Danielle Collins's exchange with rowdy fans lit up the Australian Open, and is proof tennis needs both

Each year, the Australian Open produces a hot moment that ignites the entire tournament. This year's Australian Open started relatively quietly, at least by its own high standards, but on day five, the appearance of American player Danielle Collins set the event ablaze.

Global superstars have graced Melbourne Park for decades, but none have stirred the passion of local fans in the stands quite like a lower-ranked Australian player. On Thursday night, Collins found herself not only in a fierce battle with Australian world No. 195 Destanee Aiava, but also facing a boisterous home crowd eager to see a seeded player fall.

The entire match, and everything that followed the match point, sparked a range of emotions. Collins was clearly annoyed by the crowd's support for Aiava throughout the match, and she relentlessly taunted them. It was more like a wrestling mania event than what you'd expect at a Grand Slam. Tennis purists were disgusted by it all, both the fans cheering Collins' faults and Collins' unapologetic clap back after her win.

Australian fans turned against Collins, who may be the sport's greatest pantomime villain. The thing is, you can't have it both ways — tennis actually needs both rowdy fans and pantomime villains. If you've followed Collins' career, her being at the center of this storm shouldn't surprise you in the slightest.

The 31-year-old is a classic straight-talking American who isn't afraid to grandstand, and she'll argue with anyone at any time if she feels like it. Collins' approach is that everyone is fair game when it comes to trash talk. Whether you're a casual Australian punter or a five-time Grand Slam champion like Iga Swiatek, you're not immune.

Less than 24 hours after Collins told the Australian crowd to "shut up," the man who has won the most titles in Australian Open history was also giving it back at Melbourne Park. Tomas Machac put up a valiant fight against Novak Djokovic on Rod Laver Arena, but Djokovic's biggest opponent was some of the rowdy crowd in the stands.

While Djokovic was visibly emotional during and after the match, he also understood the drama, while admitting that “a couple of guys” in the stands crossed a line. “I understand that you guys had a few drinks and you get into it,” he told reporters at Melbourne Park. “But, you know, it’s frustrating on the court and it happens at the wrong moments. If it happens repeatedly, for an hour, that someone is in the corner telling you things that you don’t want to hear and provoking you, then, of course, it gets to the point where you have to react.”

“I tried to tolerate, but then I had to respond, that’s all. And that’s it about that.” Collins may have made an enemy of all of Australia, but she appears to have the support of the ten-time Australian Open champion. “I like her response. I like everything she’s saying on the court and off the court,” Djokovic said. “I’m a big fan of Danielle Collins after that. I was before, but even more now. I love it.”

“I heard some people commenting that she shouldn’t say those things. I think she handled it well. I don’t think I would be that polite, and I know that feeling very well. So I think she’s fun, she’s smart, and I absolutely love what she’s doing. I really do.” Collins’ response to the crowd may have lacked the grace of greats from the past, but you can bet her next match will be one of the most watched of the entire tournament.

Collins will face her compatriot Madison Keys, who will be cheered on by the Australian crowd as if she were a resident of Oakleigh rather than Orlando. It's undoubtedly a win for the sport. Nothing gets the blood pumping quite like a battle between "good" and "evil." It's the single basis for the highest-grossing movies of all time. Sport is no different.

Some of the most memorable matches have come between players who are willing to play the villain and the traditional crowd favorites. Djokovic brilliantly played the villain when he began to break up the tennis status quo of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal sharing all the Grand Slam titles in the early 2010s. He's been around long enough that he eventually transitioned from villain to hero, another character arc that people love to see.

If other sports around the world benefit from having players willing to play the villain, then why should tennis be any different? “We have our history and tradition that we’re proud of, and that makes our sport different from others,” Djokovic explained when asked if tennis should be less precious about player and fan interaction. “At the same time, I think we are a bit behind other sports in terms of changing and trying to catch up with the evolution of society and new generations that we know don’t have as good of an attention span, and they want action.”

Collins, like Djokovic, has embraced the back-and-forth with the crowd. “I love it. I’ve been doing it my whole life. I love playing in front of a lively crowd, no matter who they are cheering for,” she said after her win over Aiava. “I’m like that too, and it actually motivates me more. So it’s actually a good thing, especially when I’m not playing well.”

“So I think it actually really helped me in the end. Just helped me focus more, and sometimes challenge me. Just, yeah, push me over the line. I think a lot of people were drunk and hard to control and very excited. And I think they also wanted to keep seeing a good, long, and intense match. I’m from a different country, competing here with people from here. All in all, I think it’s a really cool environment. Even if it’s really loud, this girl loves it.”

It's a delicate line for the sport's administrators to tread. Fans pay good money to watch players like Djokovic play on center court, and don't necessarily want to be told when and how to cheer. On the other hand, paying money doesn't suddenly give you the right to abuse players for hours on end. However, loud and rowdy fans can often not only enhance the atmosphere on the court, but also the level of competition between the players, who suddenly find themselves amped up.

If you watch a Kyrgios match on John Cain Arena, and then watch a match on any other court in Melbourne Park, you will notice a drop in the level of excitement. As long as they are not destructive or abusive, fans should be encouraged to create chaos in the stands. While it's crucial to get new fans to turn their eyes to the sport, tennis is one of the sports that still highly values tradition.

Djokovic has said that he'd even love to see NBA-style cheerleaders dancing during breaks in play, just as long as it doesn't happen at Wimbledon. It may still be decades before we see cheerleaders, DJs, T-shirt guns, etc. at a tennis Grand Slam. But in the meantime, some fun banter between fans and players can act as a bridge to bring more eyes to tennis in the years to come.