Australian tennis player calls out ‘racist’ culture as she retires from sport aged 25

Australian tennis player Destanee Aiava says she will be retiring at the end of the season as the 25-year-old hit out at a “racist, misogynistic, homophobic and hostile” culture in the sport.

Aiava, who reached a career-high of 147 as a teenager, described tennis as her “toxic boyfriend” and said she was sending a “ginormous f--- you” to those who had tore her down. She added the sport was unwelcoming to “anyone who doesn’t fit the mould” in a scathing retirement post on Instagram.

“I want to say a ginormous f--- you to everyone in the tennis community who’s ever made me feel less than,” she said. “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 fuck 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 the mould.”

Aiava, currently the world No 321, reached the second-round of her home Australian Open in 2025, where she lost to Danielle Collins in a three-set thriller that saw the American player booed for blowing kisses to the crowd.

A former junior prodigy, the Melbourne-born Aiava said tennis “took things from me” including her “relationship with my body, my health, my family, my self worth” and said she would be starting fresh in 2027.

“Life is not meant to be lived in misery and half assed,” Aiava said. “My ultimate goal is to be able to wake up every day and genuinely say that I love what I do – which I think everyone deserves a chance at.

“I’m 25, turning 26 this year and I feel so far behind everyone else, like I’m starting from scratch. I’m also scared. But that’s better than living a life that’s misaligned, or being around constant comparison and losing yourself.”