Samoan-Australian tennis player Destanee Aiava has announced that 2026 will mark her final year on the professional tour, declaring she is walking away from a sport she says left her feeling diminished and disillusioned.
In a raw and expletive-filled social media statement posted online, the 25-year-old likened tennis to a “toxic boyfriend” and launched a scathing attack on what she described as a culture that is “racist, misogynistic, homophobic and hostile to anyone who doesn’t fit the mould”.
Aiava confirmed that 2026 would be her last season in professional tennis, reflecting on a journey that began with her first lesson at Casey Tennis Club and quickly became all-consuming. She wrote that her life had revolved entirely around the sport and questioned whether the sacrifices she made were worth the personal cost.
Once hailed as a teenage prodigy who trained up to eight hours a day and broke into the world’s top 150 as a 17-year-old, Aiava said her career trajectory shifted dramatically after she placed her trust in the wrong people early on.
“The trajectory of my career was never the same after that.”
Currently ranked No. 321 in the world, with a career-high ranking of 147, Aiava has won 10 ITF singles titles and competed in eight grand slam main draws. Her breakthrough at the 2025 Australian Open, where she reached the second round, was a rare high point in recent years. However, she failed to make the main singles draw at this year’s tournament and exited in the first round of the women’s doubles alongside Maddison Inglis.
The most forceful passages of her retirement message were directed at members of the tennis community, online trolls and gamblers who she said subjected her to abuse and threats.
Aiava said she had endured years of body-shaming and racist taunts, including an incident during a WTA match in Montreal last year when a spectator allegedly called her a “fat monkey”.
She revealed that such abuse extended to social media, where she regularly received hateful messages following matches. Speaking previously about online trolling, Aiava said body-shaming and bullying were not “opinions” but harmful behaviour that had deeply affected her.
Aiava, who is of Samoan heritage through her father and whose mother was born in American Samoa, said she was proud to have represented the Pasifika community on the international stage. At the same time, she criticised what she sees as entrenched attitudes within tennis, accusing the sport of hiding behind “class and gentlemanly values” while marginalising those who do not conform.
In an interview with The Age, Aiava described reaching a turning point after the Australian summer. During a holiday to Finland and Ireland, she realised that stepping away from tennis altogether — rather than taking another short break — was the only way she could find fulfilment. After wrestling with the idea of retirement for five years, she said she finally felt at peace with her decision.
“I didn’t want to keep playing any more because I wasn’t being fulfilled in any way,” she said.
“I just never had the courage to stop until now.”
Aiava has previously spoken publicly about her mental health struggles, including panic attacks, an eating disorder and a 2022 suicide attempt that was interrupted by bystanders. She was later diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and sought therapy to help manage her emotions and relationships.
Financial hardship compounded her challenges on tour. After sponsorship support dried up, she relied on budget clothing and family assistance during lean stretches, including a period when her bank account was overdrawn while competing overseas. Despite those struggles, she said the experience taught her resilience and gratitude.
“My ultimate goal is to wake up every day and genuinely love what I do,” she wrote.
“That’s something everyone deserves.”
Aiava has ruled out competing internationally again and indicated she may already have played her final match, though she left open the possibility of entering occasional lower-tier events in Australia. Looking ahead, she plans to pursue studies in interior design and hopes to rediscover a sense of purpose beyond tennis.
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