{"id":491311,"date":"2026-02-20T00:59:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T00:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/491311\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T00:59:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T00:59:14","slug":"australian-tennis-star-reveals-racist-epithets-that-led-her-to-retire-at-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/491311\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian tennis star reveals racist epithets that led her to retire at 25"},"content":{"rendered":"

Days after announcing her stunning retirement<\/a> from tennis at age 25, Australian Destanee Aiava opened up in an interview with CLAY about what led to her decision to make the 2026 season her last.<\/p>\n

MORE: Australian reporter apologizes for drinking, slurring words during live segment<\/a><\/p>\n

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Aiava\u2019s father is of Samoan descent and her mother is from American Samoa.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was little, there were crazy tennis parents at the tournaments and they would not be too shy to express how they felt out loud by calling me a \u2018man\u2019 or a \u2018monkey,\u2019 \u201d the Melbourne native said.<\/p>\n

She added that she has been called \u201ctransgender\u201d \u2014 but never insulted by other players in a locker room.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the reason why it creates a hostile environment because everyone just says it behind your back and then gives a fake smile when you\u2019re passing each other,\u201d she said<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m very big on energy and for the most part, whenever I was in that environment, the energy was just terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Aiava was ranked as high as No. 147 in singles on the WTA Tour in 2024, and No. 133 in doubles.<\/p>\n

In 2019, she defeated Aryna Sabalenka, then the 10th-ranked player in the world, in The Netherlands.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, her feelings for the sport were laid bare in an expletive-filled Instagram post.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to say a ginormous f\u2013k you to everyone in the tennis community who\u2019s ever made me feel less than,\u201d she wrote<\/a>. \u201cF\u2013k you to every single gambler who\u2019s sent me hate or death threats. F\u2013k you to the people who sit behind screens on social media, commenting on my body, my career, or whatever the f\u2013k they want to nitpick.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAnd f\u2013k you to a sport that hides behind so-called class and gentlemanly values. Behind the white outfits and traditions is a culture that\u2019s racist, misogynistic, homophobic and hostile to anyone who doesn\u2019t fit its mould.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The post Australian tennis star reveals racist epithets that led her to retire at 25<\/a> appeared first on The Big Lead<\/a>.<\/p>\n