Destanee Aiava's Australian Open first-round win to make a 'world of difference'

As pay cheques go, Destanee Aiava's first-round win at the Australian Open wasn't a bad day at the office.

Aiava, who defeated Belgian Greet Minnen in a gripping three-set match late on Monday night, will pocket at least $200,000 just by reaching the second round.

That may seem an inflated figure, fuelling the belief tennis players are spoilt and overpaid.

But as Aiava pointed out, it "makes a world of difference" when you're ranked outside the top 100 and don't attract the sponsorship dollars thrown at the sport's headline acts.

Aiava, who is 195 on the WTA rankings and needed to qualify for the main draw at Melbourne Park, has previously considered selling her house to support her career.

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Such a desperate measure would have helped cover the cost of travel and accommodation so she could contest international tournaments.

Even if Aiava doesn't get past 10th seed Danielle Collins in the second round, the financial reward that will come with her Australian Open campaign will go a long way to funding her 2025 season.

"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," Aiava said after beating Minnen 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (10/5).

"It really helps. Financially, tennis is so expensive. I struggle travelling 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 (majors), it makes a world of a difference."

A promising junior, Aiava had never been past the Australian Open first round in her four previous appearances in the main draw.

In fact, she had never won a singles match at a major until Monday night.

Reflecting on her victory over Minnen, Aiava says her self-belief is growing.

"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 (2024) US Open," she said.

"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."

Aiava learning to handle 'negative stuff'

During her career, Aiava has spoken about the mental health challenges she has faced.

At one stage she considered taking her own life.

Before the Australian Open began, Aiava had to contend with body shaming comments on social media and criticism about outfits she has worn on court.

Aiava admits managing online abuse is a work in progress, but she is confident she has the right support mechanisms in place.

"At the moment I'm dealing with it OK," she said.

Aiava has spoken publicly about the mental health struggles she has faced. (Getty Images: Robert Prange)

"I try to stay off my phone as much as possible and not look into the negative stuff on the media too much.

"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.

"I think I've been handling it OK."

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