Destanee Aiava ‘never felt like I belonged’ as Australian opens up on bombshell retirement statement
Australian tennis star Destanee Aiava has spoken out after making headlines across the globe following her bombshell statement announcing her impending retirement from tennis.
Currently ranked 320th in the world, Aiava announced in a statement last week that she would retire from tennis in 2026, and did not hold back in her heavy criticism of the sport.
The Australian, who reached a career-high of 147th back in 2017, sent a “ginormous f**k you” to her critics and described tennis as her “toxic boyfriend”, further claiming that the sport had a culture that was “racist, misogynistic, homophobic and hostile to anyone who doesn’t fit its mould.”
Aiava came through qualifying to reach the second round of the Australian Open in 2025 and won 10 ITF Tour singles titles during her career, though the Australian — who only turns 26 in May — is now set to step back from the sport at a comparatively young age.
Speaking in a new interview with Clay and RG Media, the Australian opened up about her difficulties within the sport.
“Being a woman of colour in this sport that’s predominantly white, it’s been a big struggle from the get-go,” said Aiava.
“There’s not been one time where I felt like I belonged in this sport because of my colour. It’s always going to be harder for us, and that’s just the reality.
“Even if I wasn’t a woman, it’s still going to be harder if I was Brown or Asian or Black. From the online abuse and people in the stands during my matches heckling me, there’s so many instances that equated to my retirement post.”
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Part of Aiava’s retirement statement took aim at abusive messages she had received on social media from online gamblers, alongside those who had criticised her appearance or her career.
And, the 25-year-old revealed that she not only wanted to speak for herself during her statement, which she posted on social media this past weekend.
She added: “I’ve gotten comments online from people calling me ‘fat,’ calling me a ‘man.’
“Even seeing gay tennis players and how they’re treated, it’s such an important thing for me to also advocate for them because I see firsthand how they’ve been treated in tennis.
“I really just didn’t want to speak for myself. I wanted to speak for everyone else who had or who has had a very similar experience to me.”
Aiava is yet to confirm when she will play her final tournament, though her retirement statement has attracted significant attention both within and outside of tennis.
Among those to comment on the Australian’s statement was world No 6 Amanda Anisimova, who was asked about some of Aiava’s message during her campaign at the Dubai Tennis Championships this week.
“I personally don’t know her story. I don’t know her that well,” said Anisimova.
“I’m not really sure what she was talking about in that aspect. I don’t know if she was talking more about the reactions she received on social media or people in tennis.
“I just don’t know enough in detail to be able to answer that question. At the end of the day, it is heartbreaking she had that experience. Hopefully, maybe she’ll change her mind and have a restart in tennis. You never know.”
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