- Melbourne local Destanee Aiava subjected to drug testing
- Australian Open qualification process deemed outdated
- He told his followers on X that the process was 'invasive'
Local star Destanee Aiava has criticized the “invasive” drug testing method for players at the Australian Open.
Aiava, 24, tweeted about her experience following a second-round loss to polarizing American 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, pocketed $200,000.
The Melbourne resident was drug tested shortly after coming off the court and found the experience to be uncomfortable.
'Someone needs to find a less invasive way to drug test us… and I don't know (I don't know) why they're testing me… I'm literally 300 in the world, the only thing I can do. testing positive is a mental illness,” he posted on X.
That was a reference to Aiava's previous personal struggles, which included suicidal thoughts in 2022.
Local star Destanee Aiava criticized 'invasive' drug testing method for players at Australian Open
Aiava, 24, tweeted about her experience following a second-round loss to polarizing American player Danielle Collins that ended her tournament.
The Melbourne resident was drug tested shortly after coming off the court and found the experience to be uncomfortable.
She confirmed to one of her followers that the drug tester saw her urinating before leaving with the sample.
Doping in tennis has the potential to bring the sport to its knees.
Australian Nick Kyrgios has spoken of Jannik Sinner initially escaping any sanctions after failing two 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 sanction the Italian.
If convicted, Sinner faces a two-year suspension.
A bemused Kyrgios called tennis “cooked” ahead of Sinner's WADA appeal, and more surprises emerged when women's world number two Iga Swiatek accepted a month-long suspension in November.
The Polish star tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted Swiatek's explanation that her failed drug test was caused by contamination of the over-the-counter medication melatonin, which she took for jet lag and sleep problems.
The ITIA later said his level of fault was at the lower end of the range of “no significant fault or negligence”.
Trimetazidine, also known as TMZ, is commonly used as a heart medication for its ability to improve blood flow.