Destanee Aiava is only 25 years old, yet she has already announced that the 2026 season will be her last on tour. In a shocking and deeply personal Instagram statement, the Australian player laid bare her complicated relationship with the sport, explaining what she absolutely hates about professional tennis and why she is ready to walk away.
“Tennis was my toxic boyfriend,” Aiava wrote, after unpacking the reasons she stayed as long as she did. At times, she felt a sense of obligation to the people who had supported her throughout her career. Other times, she admitted she was afraid to start over, unsure of who she was without tennis, or simply continuing out of boredom rather than passion.
While Aiava acknowledged that the sport gave her meaningful friendships and the opportunity to travel to beautiful places around the world, she was equally clear about the cost. Tennis, she said, took far more than it gave, as she listed what she had lost along the way: “My relationship with my body. My health. My family. My self worth.”
The most striking and uncompromising section of her statement was directed at critics, gamblers, and the wider tennis culture itself:
“I want to say a ginormous f—k you to everyone in the tennis community who’s ever made me feel less than. F—k you to every single gambler who’s sent me hate or death threats. F—k you to the people who sit behind screens on social media, commenting on my body, my career, or whatever the f—k they want to nitpick. And f—k you to a sport that hides behind so-called class and gentlemanly values. Behind the white outfits and traditions is a culture that’s racist, misogynistic, homophobic and hostile to anyone who doesn’t fit its mould.“
Aiava says she is looking ahead to the next phase of her life, one she hopes will be authentic and “led by purpose, creativity and passion.” Still, she admits the transition will not be easy. She feels behind her generation and knows she will have to start from scratch. However, she is ready to face her fears, rather than continue living a life that feels misaligned and untrue to herself.
The last tournament Aiava played was the qualifying of the 2026 Australian Open, where she fell in the opening round. Her career-high singles ranking was No. 147 achieved in 2017.
She showed potential at an early age and then a lot of expectations were placed on her and she was never able to fulfill them, whether because she wasn’t good enough or she didn’t have the right mentality to withstand what is undoubtedly a gruelling life below the top 100, or both. And for her there is the added element of not fitting the conventional mould appearance-wise, and if you don’t fit the mould that makes you more vulnerable to trolls because they can play on your feelings of inadequacy. But I don’t think you can blame it all on external factors like “tennis”. It’s also how you yourself react and manage your feelings.
Weak, whiny pissy entitled brat
CLT, I find Destanee very pretty and her exotic appearance make her even more attractive, in my opinion, but I understand what you mean. Maybe it’s not entirely related, but your observation made me think of Novak Djokovic, who has thrived on the fact that he has not been considered adequate and perfectly fitting in terms of his background (unlike Federer and Nadal), he used it to fuel his competitive fire, but not everyone can do that. I can definitely understand Destanee’s feelings. Tennis is an industry, has a certain framework, like any job, and not every job is suitable for everyone. She may thrive in other environments, where there is less pressure, less public eye, etc.
CTL & Marija, I get what you’re both saying. I think fans, trolls, and sports bettors can really mess up a player’s psyche if they are not mentally strong. I think Taylor Townsend went through a rough phase in her early to mid pro career as she was deemed overweight. If I’m not mistaken, she had issues with the USTA as well as she was viewed not fit enough and therefore not able to get funding from the organization. Like Novak, she persevered and has been able to get to this point where she’s winning doubles slams and enjoying her life on tour.
CR, what I pointed out about Novak is that he seems to draw energy from being looked down upon, he has found a unique way of turning criticism and disrespect into boosted self-esteem and competitive spirit. When he’s booed, he gets extra drive to perform well and win. But it is very hard to achieve that level. I totally understand players who let such things get to them.