Destanee Aiava has recently announced her retirement from professional tennis after competing in the 2026 season, which would be her last season on tour. The Samoan player, who reached a WTA career-high ranking of World No. 147 in singles and World No. 133, has revealed the scathing reasons behind her retirement while expressing her gratitude to all the individuals who supported her on her journey and to her Pacific Islander community.
Destanee Aiava Announces Retirement at 25, Exposing Her Challenges Through Her Farewell Note
The Melbourne, Australia, native led a successful career on the ITF circuit, clinching 10 singles titles and 14 doubles titles. Last year, she reached the second round at the Australian Open, and in 2024, the same round in the doubles category. She began her 2026 season with the Canberra International, facing defeat in the round of 32 to Polina Iatcenko.
She also competed at Melbourne Park, losing in the qualifying round to Harriet Dart, and in the doubles category with Maddison Inglis, she lost the first round to Aldila Sutjiadi and
Giuliana Olmos. In her recent Instagram post, Aiava announced she will end her professional career after the 2026 season.
In her farewell note, she shed light on the positive and negative impacts of the sport on her life and on the significant chapters of her career. Aiava wrote, “2026 will be my final year on tour playing professional tennis. There was a time in my career when I had reached the point that comes just before you make your big breakthrough. 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.”
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The ITF star further highlighted how she was starting to lose her identity, and ultimately, the sport, which once fuelled her passion, turned into a burden, “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.”
She continued, showcasing the gains and losses, “Tennis gave me many things I can only be grateful for. The places I’ve travelled. Some of my best friends. A platform to share my story. And it also took things from me. My relationship with my body, My health. My family, My self worth.”
While expressing her thoughts, Aiava did not spare online harassment, body shaming, and criticism she experienced, and also exposed the culture of the sport. She wrote severely, “I want to say a ginormous f*** you to everyone in the tennis community who’s ever made me feel less than. F*** you to every single gambler who’s sent me hate or death threats.”
“F*** you to the people who sit behind screens on social media, commenting on my body, my career, or whatever the f*** they want to nitpick. And f*** 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.”
Apart from sharing her views, the talented athlete also expressed her gratitude to all the individuals who supported her on her journey and said her next step would be “one led by purpose, creativity, and passion.” She also thanked her Pacific Islander Community, saying that she was able to inspire the younger generation and that she is “proud to have made history,” for her community.
