Destanee Aiava is really leaving it all out on the court.
The 25-year-old Australian tennis player announced on Saturday that she will retire at the end of 2026 in an emotional message on Instagram.
She tore into her career with the sport, which she called her “toxic boyfriend.”
“From the moment I had my first lesson at Casey Tennis Club, my entire life was tennis. I often wondered what my life would have looked like if I’d chosen anything else and whether everything I sacrificed for this sport was actually worth the cost,” Aiava wrote.
“There was a time in my career when I had reached the point that comes just before you make your big breakthrough, when the world is at your feet and nothing can tough you. I was only 17, unprepared and dangerously naive to the consequences of trusting the wrong people. The trajectory of my career was never the same after that.”
Aiava explained she kept playing because she felt she owed it to herself and everyone who had helped and invested in her along the way. However, she made an explosive statement about those who have wronged her throughout her career.
“I want to say a ginormous f–k you to everyone in the tennis community who’s ever made me feel less than,” she continued. “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 the mould. Life is not meant to be lived in misery or half assed. My ultimate goal is to be able to wake up everyday and genuinely say I love what I do – which I think everyone deserves the chance at.”
“I’m 25, turning 26 this year and I feel so far behind everyone [else], like I’m starting from scratch, Aiava added. “I’m also scared. But that’s better than living a life that’s misaligned, or being around constant comparison and losing yourself.”
Aiava, who ranked as high as No. 147 in the world in doubles, fell short of the main singles draw at the Australian Open this year but partnered with Maddison Inglis in doubles.
It proved to be her last time playing at Melbourne Park.
The furthest she has gone in a major in the singles tournament is the round of 64 at the 2025 Australian Open. She won a doubles WTA 125 title in Birmingham last year with Cristina Bucșa.
Aiava’s retirement announcement came after she recently called out the online hate and range of abuse she was experiencing, including someone suggesting she quit tennis and take up “competitive eating” instead.
“Usually I block people straight away whenever I get a comment like this or any accounts that do this,” Aiava said at the time. “And I’m usually encouraged not to bite back or say anything — just block. But today I didn’t, purely because I wanted to see how far this person would go.”
