Australian tennis professional Destanee Aiava has launched a furious and public rebuttal against an online troll who targeted her with what she described as "f***ing disgusting" comments about her appearance and sporting ability.
Fiery Social Media Clapback
Aiava, who was recently knocked out during the qualifying rounds for this year's Australian Open main draw, took to Instagram to expose the abusive commenter. She shared a screenshot where the troll wrote: "Tennis isn't for you try finding something else. Maybe competitive eating?"
In an explosive video message, the 25-year-old athlete explained she usually blocks such negativity immediately. "I'm usually encouraged not to bite back or say anything, just block – but today I didn't," Aiava stated. Her reason was to see "how far this person would go."
She posted snippets of the ensuing exchange, where she told the troll: "This is a prime example of what happens when you don't parent your kids properly. They turn out stupid and evil." The commenter retorted by mocking her size and tennis skills.
Bullying Disguised as Opinion
Aiava made a clear distinction between personal opinion and outright abuse. She argued that many trolls hide behind the guise of sharing a view when their actions constitute harassment.
"Commenting on someone's social media saying you're a big back, you can't play tennis, you're fat, yada yada yada, that's just straight-up bullying," she asserted. "It is disgusting, disrespectful, and I genuinely don't know why people like this waste their time and energy on athletes who are just literally trying their f***ing best."
She emphasised that being a public figure does not make such treatment acceptable. "Body shaming is not a f***ing opinion and neither is bullying," Aiava declared, ending her message with a warning about karma.
A History of Mental Health Struggles
The incident is particularly poignant given Aiava's previous openness about her battles with mental illness. In 2022, she revealed a profound crisis, sharing that on Easter Sunday she was stopped from jumping off a bridge onto the M1 motorway by three passers-by.
She wrote at the time that she "did not want to make it to my 22nd birthday," but acknowledged the importance of her survival to loved ones. This context makes the current trolling episode even more serious.
Aiava's career highlight came at last year's Australian Open, where she became a cult hero by qualifying and winning her first Grand Slam match, defeating Belgium's Greet Minnen. After that victory, she spoke about the confidence boost, saying overcoming such hurdles helped pull her out of negative thought patterns.
"I can sometimes get into a really bad head space... But once I actually do those things and the belief comes with it, then just the more situations I'm in like this, it definitely gives me more confidence," she reflected. Her latest stand against online abuse marks another step in her ongoing personal and professional journey.
