Cult hero Destanee Aiava slams ‘invasive’ drug testing method players must endure at Australian Open
Home-grown star Destanee Aiava has slammed the ‘invasive’ drug testing method for players at the Australian Open.
Aiava, 24, tweeted about her experience following a second round defeat to polarising US player Danielle Collins which ended her tournament.
It came after the one-time prodigy qualified for the main draw and after winning her first round match, will pocket $200,000.
The Melbourne resident was drug-tested not long after walking off court – and found the experience to be an awkward one.
‘Someone needs to find a less invasive way to test us for drugs….and idk (I don’t know) why I’m being tested…I’m literally 300 in the world the only thing I’ll be tested positive for is mental illness,’ she posted on X.
That was a reference to Aiava’s previous personal struggles, which included suicidal thoughts in 2022.
Home-grown star Destanee Aiava has slammed the ‘invasive’ drug testing method for players at the Australian Open
Aiava, 24, tweeted about her experience following a second round defeat to polarising US player Danielle Collins which ended her tournament
The Melbourne resident was drug-tested not long after walking off court – and found the experience to be an awkward one
She confirmed to one of her followers the drug tester watched her pee before walking away with the sample.
Doping in tennis has the potential to bring the sport to its knees.
Aussie Nick Kyrgios has been vocal in Jannik Sinner initially escaping any sanction after he two failed tests in 2024.
World number one Sinner will face a two-day hearing in April after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed the decision not to ban the Italian.
If found guilty, Sinner faces a two-year ban.
A bemused Kyrgios labelled tennis ‘cooked’ before the WADA appeal for Sinner – and more eyebrows were raised when women’s world number two Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension in November.
It followed the Polish star testing positive to the banned substance trimetazidine.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted Swiatek’s explanation that her failed drugs test was caused by the contamination of the non-prescription medication melatonin, which she took for jet lag and sleep issues.
Subsequently, the ITIA said her level of fault was at the lowest end of the range for ‘no significant fault or negligence.’
Trimetazidine, also known as TMZ, is normally used as a heart medicine for its ability to enhance blood flow.
