Star Tennis Player Pens Profane, Blistering Retirement Letter

Destanee Aiava, a star Australian tennis player, penned a blistering and profane letter announcing her retirement at the tender age of 25. In a thoroughly honest missive posted to Instagram on Saturday, Feb. 14, Aiava called the sport her “toxic boyfriend” and announced that she would be retiring at the end of this year.

Destanee Aiava Announces Retirement in Furious Open Letter

“From the moment I had my first lesson at Casey Tennis Club, my entire life was tennis. I often wondered what my life would have looked like if I’d chosen anything else and whether everything I sacrificed for this sport was actually worth the cost,” Aiava wrote. “There was a time in my career when I had reached the point that comes just before you make your big breakthrough, when the world is at your feet, and nothing can touch you. 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.”

'A Ginormous F–k You'

While giving due credit to her supporters who aided her throughout her short but successful career, Aiava also threw out "a ginormous f–k you” to her adversaries. “I want to say a ginormous f–k you to everyone in the tennis community who’s ever made me feel less than,” she wrote. “F–k you to the people who sit behind screens on social media, commenting on my body, my career, or whatever the f–k they want to nitpick.

"And f–k 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. Life is not meant to be lived in misery or half-assed. My ultimate goal is to be able to wake up every day and genuinely say I love what I do – which I think everyone deserves the chance at.”

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

Aiava’s retirement announcement comes after she addressed a surge of online harassment. “Usually, I block people straight away whenever I get a comment like this or any accounts that do this,” she said. “And I’m usually encouraged not to bite back or say anything – just block. But today I didn’t, purely because I wanted to see how far this person would go.”