Destanee Aiava, the 25-year-ancient Australian tennis player, stepped away from the sport in February, citing a pattern of death threats and racist abuse that culminated in a genuine fear for her safety and that of her family. Aiava announced her departure in a social media post describing tennis as a “toxic boyfriend,” a relationship she felt compelled to end after years of escalating harassment.
The threats, Aiava explained in an interview with triple j hack, began after matches, regardless of the outcome. “Win or loss, the death threats would come,” she said. “They’re going to find me, kill my family, kill me.” She attributed the abuse to gamblers targeting players based on their match outcomes, a disturbing trend she says is widespread within professional tennis.
Aiava’s experience highlights a darker side of the sport, one often hidden from public view. She described receiving messages from individuals who claimed to have lost significant sums of money due to her performance, even after victories. “Even if I did win, I would still get a lot of messages saying they had lost their home or something,” she recounted. This pressure led to a point where she was “literally scared to step on the court” last year.
Beyond the threats related to gambling, Aiava detailed a consistent stream of racist abuse throughout her career. She described receiving comments about her skin color, being subjected to racial slurs, including the N-word and enduring comparisons that were deeply offensive. “Comments about my skin colour or calling me a monkey … even the N word,” she said. “It’s a lot.”
Aiava also expressed feeling isolated within the Australian tennis community, stating she lacked the support of her peers. “A lot of Aussie tennis players love to advertise how amazing the camaraderie is, but, yeah, that’s not how I felt,” she said, adding that she didn’t have any friends within the sport. This sense of isolation compounded the difficulties she faced.
Her journey in tennis began at age seven, turning professional at 15, and she reached a career-high WTA ranking of 147. However, Aiava emphasized that the reality of professional tennis is far removed from the glamour often perceived by fans. She revealed financial struggles, recounting times when she had less than $40 in her bank account and faced lengthy delays in receiving prize money.
Aiava also spoke of witnessing a culture of racism, misogyny, and homophobia within the sport, suggesting that those who didn’t conform to certain norms were often targeted. She disclosed developing eating disorders as a result of the pressure to conform to body image standards prevalent in the sport, noting that expectations differed for athletes of Pacific Islander descent. “I developed eating disorders … I starved myself,” she said. “Most of the people playing this sport are a lot thinner … but Pacific Islanders are just built different.”
Despite the increased focus on inclusivity in recent years, Aiava believes racism in tennis has not improved. “I don’t really consider it has improved in any way, even though they advertise that they have more inclusivity,” she stated. She noted the lack of representation of players who seem like her, and the problematic commentary she faced even when winning matches. “Only seeing white players and no one else looking like me, it was really uncomfortable. Especially when I was winning … it would automatically move to, ‘She looks like a man.'”
Aiava called for greater accountability for those sending abusive messages and death threats, suggesting that tennis federations need to implement consequences for such behavior. She dismissed the suggestion that players should simply avoid social media, arguing that it’s a valuable tool for connection and professional engagement. “That’s a cop-out,” she said. “Social media is an amazing way to connect with positive people, and it’s also work.”
Looking ahead, Aiava is pursuing studies in interior design and expressed interest in participating in reality television, acknowledging she is accustomed to public scrutiny. “I feel like I’ve already been scrutinised a lot,” she said. “So why not?” While she doesn’t anticipate returning to professional tennis, she maintains she doesn’t lack the skill to compete. “I definitely don’t agree,” she said. “I personally think my game was there. It was just a matter of if I wanted to do it, and if I loved it enough, and I didn’t.”