Former Top 200 Player Destanee Aiava to End Pro Career in 2026, Reveals Emotional Struggles on Instagram
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Destanee Aiava has made a major decision. The 25-year-old Australian does not plan to linger on the WTA Tour. Currently ranked 321st in the WTA, she is on a streak of five consecutive losses and was notably defeated by Harriet Dart in the first round of Australian Open qualifying in January.
But in recent hours, Aiava announced that 2026 will be her final year as a professional player. Ranked as high as world No. 147, Aiava, who reached the second round of the Australian Open in 2025 against Danielle Collins, posted a message on her Instagram account to explain her decision.
“I Had Reached the Stage Just Before the Big Breakthrough at the Top Level”
“From my first lesson at Casey Tennis Club, my entire life has been dedicated to tennis. I often wondered what my life would have been like if I had chosen something else.
And if everything I had sacrificed for this sport was really worth it. At one point in my career, I had reached the stage just before the big breakthrough at the top level, where the world is at your feet and nothing can touch you.
I was only 17, I was poorly prepared and dangerously naive about the consequences of trusting the wrong people. The trajectory of my career was never the same after that,” she wrote.
“I Was Constantly Searching for That Thing That Brought Me Peace Rather Than Grief”
“I also didn’t know who I was outside of tennis and what my true passion was. I was constantly searching for that thing that brought me peace rather than grief. In other words, tennis was my toxic boyfriend.
That said, tennis has brought me many things for which I can only be grateful. I traveled to places many dream of visiting. I made great friends. I found a platform to share my story.
Even when I had no money left because I had spent everything to ‘succeed.’ But tennis also took many things from me: my relationship with my body, my health, my family, and my self-esteem,” Aiava continued. Read her full message via the link below.
Dernière modification le 14/02/2026 à 12h28