In a surprising move over Valentine’s Weekend, Australian-Samoan tennis player Destanee Aiava announced her retirement from professional tennis, thanked her community and slammed the online abuse she’s received in her career, calling tennis her “toxic boyfriend.”
Destanee was the first player born in the 2000s to compete in a Grand Slam main draw (Australian Open 2017). She beat top-10 player Aryna Sabalenka early in her career, which drew attention to her potential and turned heads with her performance at the 2025 Australian Open.
Destanee Aiava competed in the 2026 Australian Open, but she did not make the singles main draw. She lost in the first round of qualifying to Britain’s Harriet Dart earlier in January 2026.
Sheplayed in the women’s doubles draw, partnering with Maddison Inglis, but they were defeated in the first round. That doubles appearance ended up being her last match at Melbourne Park before announcing her retirement.
In her retirement announcement, Destanee shared that while tennis brought many things into her life that she was grateful for, it “took things from me”. It impacted her relationship with her body, health, family, and self-worth. She also shared that she had endured abuse from a myriad of people online, citing “every single gambler who’s sent me hate or death threats,” and other “nitpicking” her body and career.
Now, she’s decided to put herself first and discover where her passion truly lies.
Read her full statement below.
Destanee Aiava announces retirement from tennis
Destanee Aiava’s statement is printed in full, as she wrote it, below. Read it on her Instagram page here.
2026 will be my final year on tour playing professional tennis.
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. 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 touch 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.
Sometimes I kept playing because I felt like I owed it to not only myself but to everyone who had helped me throughout my career, to try and get back to where (on paper) I belonged. Other times I kept going because I was too scared to start again. Or I was bored. I also didn’t know who I was outside of tennis and what my true passion was. I was constantly looking for that thing that gave me peace instead of grief.
In other words tennis was my toxic boyfriend.
That said, tennis gave me many things I can only be grateful for. The places I’ve travelled that people only dream of visiting. Some of my best friends. A platform to share my story. Even that time I had zero dollars because I’d spent it all trying to “make it”. And it also took things from me. My relationship with my body. My health. My family. My self worth. Would I do it all again? I really don’t know, but one thing this sport taught me is that there is always a chance to start fresh.
I want to say a ginormous fuck you to everyone in the tennis community who’s ever made me feel less than. Fuck you to every single gambler who’s sent me hate or death threats. Fuck you to the people who sit behind screens on social media, commenting on my body, my career, or whatever the fuck they want to nitpick. And fuck 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.
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. I’m also scared. But that’s better than living a life thats misaligned, or being around constant comparison and losing yourself.
To the Pacific Islander community — thank you. I am deeply humbled I have been able to inspire young girls and boys who look like me, to not be afraid to chase their dreams — no matter what the room looks like. Without you, there wouldn’t be me. I am proud to have been one of the few you saw on a stage that wasn’t built for us. I am proud to have made history for our people. And I am proud of where I come from — because of all of you.
Thank you to everyone who’s been a loyal fan of mine, my sponsors, my family, my best friends, my partner, my cats and anyone who’s been a positive part of this 21 year journey. I don’t know what this year will look like or where tennis fits into it. What I do know is that this chapter will end on my terms. And I’m truly grateful ffor the people who’ve supported me without trying to change who I am. I look forward to stepping into my next phase of life — one led by purpose, creativity and passion.
Goodbye. Destanee.
