Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 13 May 2025 | Matt Trollope

Destanee Aiava this week flies to Europe as the countdown to her Roland Garros main-draw debut continues.

The Australian received a main-draw wildcard for the year’s second major, reward for the excellent stretch of results she has enjoyed in previous months.

Qualifying for the main draw of last year’s US Open proved a breakthrough, before she produced her best Grand Slam result at Australian Open 2025, again qualifying for the main draw then saving a match point to advance to the second round.

“It was really great. It was quite a crazy two weeks,” Aiava said on this week’s episode of The Sit-Down.

“Coming through qualies for AO was honestly like one of the main things I have been wanting to do for a while. I’ve been in qualies for quite a while now for this [tournament]. So yeah, just qualifying in front of my friends and family and I had a really big crowd as well for, I think, the last two of my qualities matches, which was really great.

“I think my draw was pretty tough as well. All the players I played were really great competitors. When you see the girls that you have beaten do that well after, I guess it just shows that I can get there as well, and it’s just a matter of time… I just need to keep going and persisting.

“But yeah, I’ve really enjoyed my AO this year. It was amazing. I always enjoy my time here, but this one was super special.”

Aiava’s run at Melbourne Park ended when she fell in three compelling sets to Danielle Collins, who made global headlines with her post-match celebrations and interview.

It is a match Aiava says people still mention to her months later, and one she remembers fondly.

PODCAST: Listen to Destanee Aiava on The Sit-Down

“I look back on it and I smile. I really enjoyed it, honestly, with the crowd,” said Aiava of a match notable for its crackling evening atmosphere at Kia Arena.

“I thought even I had some hecklers (laughter) so it was something really different to what I’ve been used to, even playing overseas. It was like a different level. It was on Kia [Arena] but it still felt massive and there were so many people; I think it was literally full.

“And then it ended and I lost and then I was walking up to the net and I just saw her do her thing and I was like, ‘oh, I should probably not look that way and ignore’. (laugher)

“But after the match, she was really lovely to me at the net. She messaged me as well, which I really respect, and she was so kind to me. So I could only say good things about her.

“I tried to avoid what she was doing on the court, and yeah, just let her do her thing. But I’m really grateful that I had that kind of experience as well. I feel like you don’t really get those kinds of matches too often.”

It was the culmination of a fortnight that did wonders for Aiava’s profile and career trajectory.

The 25-year-old continued her momentum into February, reaching an ITF final in Prague then the semifinals in Trnava, Slovakia – both W75 level events – to boost her ranking inside the world’s top 150 for the first time in almost eight years.

Her social media following soared, she now has a manager and she has since commenced a partnership with clothing brand LSKD, whose outfits she is looking forward to unveiling at Roland Garros.

“I think maybe after my third round qualies match, my follower count, like my Instagram was just blowing up. Everything, my X [account]. I think those were the main two things, and TikTok as well,” Aiava reflected.

“Everyone was all of a sudden interested in either the outfits, or my tennis, or the Collins match. My phone did not stop blowing up. I had to change my settings and everything.

“I was able to get a manager after that week, which was really good. Got a lot of opportunities off court, which was really nice.

“So yeah, it only did good things.”

Listen to the full episode of The Sit-Down, a weekly podcast released each Monday featuring an in-depth interview with a notable tennis identity. Subscribe to The Sit-Down in your favourite podcast player.