AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 14, 2025

Destanee Aiava

Press Conference

D. AIAVA/G. Minnen

5-7, 7-5, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Absolute roller coaster today. Explain to us your feelings right now and how you got through that match.

DESTANEE AIAVA: I'm feeling tired and hungry (smiling).

But yeah, I'm just super happy to get through and finally win a first round of singles in a Grand Slam, especially at my home slam, as well.

So yeah, it was really nice and special. The crowd got me through.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Obviously it's been a long time coming, that first-round win. What did it mean for you to break through?

DESTANEE AIAVA: I don't know if I've broken through yet. I just am trying to keep the momentum going from my quallies matches. Yeah, just to get that first win out the way this year's really great. I hope to keep it going.

Q. Everyone was going nuts and cheering as you went off the court. Did you really feel the love from everyone?

DESTANEE AIAVA: Yeah, I did. I felt it from the very first point. Everyone was so loud. Yeah, they gave me the energy that I needed to get through that match, especially when I was down and had match points against me, as well.

Yeah, all credit to the crowd, I guess.

Q. You might not remember this, but about 18 months ago you spoke about the fact you were thinking of selling your house at one point to keep the dream alive. What does this week, inclusive of qualifying itself, mean for you and your future?

DESTANEE AIAVA: Yeah, it means that I can bring someone to travel with this year, and I can afford to actually go to all the tournaments that I want to. Yeah, it really helps. Financially tennis is so expensive. I struggle traveling on my own. The fact that I get to bring my fiancé with me and hopefully one of my family members to the big ones, yeah, it makes a world of a difference.

Q. You're a set and 5-2 down at one stage, then saved two match points later in the third set. I suppose my question is, how did you manage to turn it around? Where did that belief come from?

DESTANEE AIAVA: I believed I could win before I stepped on the court. It was just I felt like I wasn't playing my best. Yeah, I was getting a bit negative in the first set.

Yeah, she had a lot of momentum. I just told myself if I have to say c'mon every single point that I win, then I'm going to do that. I need to do whatever it takes to, yeah, come back.

It ended up going 5-All. Yeah, I just heard the crowd get louder. Yeah, I tried to use that to my advantage.

Q. You had lots of young kids in the crowd standing there really supporting you, a lot of Samoan and Australian flags. Does it feel like a lifetime when you step back to when you were playing Simona Halep on this court, how does that feel when you get to hear all those kids cheering you on now?

DESTANEE AIAVA: Nowadays, I enjoy it. I used to feel a lot of pressure and expectations. But now I feel maybe it's 'cause I'm older now and I've dealt with these kinds of situations a lot more. I'm able to handle it a lot better, know that there are kids that I am inspiring.

So yeah, it's really nice. I'm actually enjoying it now. It's just really nice that I can inspire some kids to pick up a racquet.

Q. I understand that you are playing Danielle Collins next. How do you measure up your game against hers?

DESTANEE AIAVA: I'm just going to enjoy the match. I've watched her play a bit. Yeah, I've enjoyed watching her play. I've not played her before. Second round of a Grand Slam, it's my first time, I'm just going to enjoy the experience and do my best.

Q. I want to go back to what you said before about you're now enjoying tennis. You mentioned the other day about getting out of your own way. How did you get to this point? Can you talk about the things that you did to actually get to understand the feeling of this is great, this is a big part of my life?

DESTANEE AIAVA: I think I had to really step back and appreciate things that tennis has given me and not look at it as something so negative. It's really hard because you're losing so many times in tennis more than you win. Yeah, I can get into a really negative head space.

So yeah, I think just looking back each week, just feeling a lot of gratitude for everything that tennis has given me, yeah, I mean, I'm here playing my favorite Grand Slam, in the second round. I can only be thankful and grateful that I get to do this as a job. Yeah, I'm not turning up to do something that I hate, even though I do hate it sometimes.

But yeah, just thinking of all the positives that tennis has, it's helped.

Q. You're still very young. You've also been around a fair while. Were there times where you thought days like today would never happen?

DESTANEE AIAVA: Yes (smiling). I can sometimes get into a really bad head space and think that I was never going to win a first-round match or I wouldn't ever qualify, as well, before I did at the US Open.

But I think 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.

Q. You've had wild cards in the past, but you've qualified for this tournament, also for US Open. Talk to us about is it better to qualify sometimes? Does it feel that might be better than actually getting a wild card?

DESTANEE AIAVA: Yeah, for me, now that I've actually qualified, it does feel so much better to actually earn my way in. I know all the girls who got them are so deserving of the wild card that they received. I just wasn't in a position to receive one.

Going into quallies on my own ranking, as well, is a good feeling, too. But yeah, actually winning those three matches, then getting past first round, I feel like it is a better feeling than receiving a wild card, I would say.

Q. In the game where you were serving for it in the third set, couldn't buy a first serve, from the outside you seemed calm. What was going on between the ears?

DESTANEE AIAVA: A lot of bad things (laughter).

Yeah, I just tried to, I don't know, take more time in between my points, not get too down on myself. I know I can do that quite a bit.

But yeah, I just tried to use the crowd as much as I could. They lifted my energy up. Yeah, my first serve got a bit better.

Q. A specific question on the court where you play. Do you feel a special feeling on the court because it's a little arena with the crowd, a lot of noise?

DESTANEE AIAVA: I felt it played a bit different because of the time of the day. I played on it the other day in my last quallies match. Yeah, I just couldn't really find my rhythm at the start.

Yeah, I think it was a really good atmosphere. There were so many people there tonight. I thought it was good. It was just a bit different because of the timing, I think.

Q. I'm curious to know how you're handling all the attention over the last week or so asking about your outfits, your mental health journey. How are you dealing with all that?

DESTANEE AIAVA: At the moment I'm dealing with it okay. I try to stay off my phone as much as possible and not look into the negative stuff on the media too much.

Yeah, I think I'm used to it now because I had so much when I was little. I'm older now. I can deal with it a lot better. I have the people around me to keep me in check. If they see me on my phone too much, they'll just take it away.

Yeah, I think I've been handling it okay.

Q. You talk about some of the negative stuff. You mean social media stuff? On the other side, how would you like us to be reporting your form here, your outfits? What should we be doing better?

DESTANEE AIAVA: I don't really know. I feel like the only negative things I see is from, like, other people commenting. I think it's not so much the articles that are bad. Maybe some titles are a bit clickbait. I understand that. That's just to get people reading them.

Yeah, I mean, I don't think there's much the media can do better. It's their job. Yeah, it's just the average Joes being shit to people, yeah.

Q. You mentioned the average Joe commenting is a bit negative. Does that stand in stark contrast to what you saw with the crowd being so loud and supportive tonight?

DESTANEE AIAVA: I think everyone who came to watch and was screaming and supporting, I feel like they're less inclined to maybe give a bad comment. I mean, I feel like they wouldn't have sat there the whole time and watched if they didn't feel positively towards either player.

Yeah, I feel like it's just the people that sit behind their phones and have nothing better to do that are sad and unhappy with their lives. I don't know. But yeah, I try not to look into it too much. I do like telling them off.