Tennis sensation Danielle Collins has opened up about her boyfriend Bryan, who amusingly admitted to knowing “nothing about tennis” when they first crossed paths. The formidable Collins has just won back-to-back titles after beating Daria Kasatkina in the Charleston Open final.

Collins, set to hang up her racket at season’s end, is riding high on a remarkable 13-match winning streak, which saw her clinch the Miami Open crown then follow it up with a win in Charleston. In a candid chat with Tennis Channel before her latest final, the 30-year-old opened up on her beau’s support, noting his presence in Charleston as she continues her impressive run.

The tennis star recounted her encounter with Bryan, a golf enthusiast, in a London coffee shop after her Wimbledon stint. She delved into his background, revealing that he was a former athlete himself, being an American Football player for Columbia University in New York.

He took to the field as a defensive lineman in eight games and later graduated with an engineering degree. Currently, Bryan holds the position of Vice President at biotech firm Revvity, reports Essentially Sports.

“Yeah, Bryan made the trip from Boston. He’s had a really busy work week,” Collins remarked following her victory over Belgium’s Elise Mertens, propelling her into the Charleston semi-finals. 

Collins shared that Bryan, a 2006 track state champion, was blissfully unaware of her professional tennis career, a fact she found quite endearing.

“We have been going out for a while now. We met at a coffee shop in London so that was pretty exciting. I didn’t think I would meet someone at a coffee shop. Who would have thought? Just after the tournament, Wimbledon.

“He didn’t know anything about tennis, and he didn’t know I was a tennis player, which was really nice. He was actually a bigger fan of golf and so he said, ‘Well I really like golf. I don’t really know much about tennis’. And I was like, ‘Yes! That’s so exciting’.”

“Because it’s fun to kind of be around someone that has interests in other things and that’s not as familiar with the sport because you get to learn and grow with them and help them.

The tennis star also spoke about her desire to teach her partner how to play tennis and to improve her own golf game. “I explained to him that this is a big deal in the tennis world so hopefully that doesn’t tear us apart,” she added.

“He has gotten me on the golf course, and I’m so competitive. I hate losing to this guy. Love him to death but hate losing to him. He is very competitive.”