Rising tennis star Destanee Aiava says money matters but so does winning

DESTANEE Aiava was stung by the backlash when she declared her primary tennis motivation was money and the comparisons to Bernard Tomic, but says she has other career drivers.

Destanee Aiava hits a return against Germany's Mona Barthel during their women's singles match on day one of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 16, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAEED KHAN / IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE

MONEY is important to Destanee Aiava. Always has been.

Given the austere circumstances in which she was raised, Aiava’s understanding of the value of a dollar is more acute than most teenagers.

But money does not govern her life — and never will.

At 17, Aiava has lobbed in that rarest and most daunting of spaces — learning life lessons in public.

When the Victorian recently declared her primary tennis motivation was money, she was disturbed by the backlash.

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Among other things, what stung hard were comparisons with Bernard Tomic.

Asked where money actually sits on her scale of career drivers, Aiava said: “Well obviously this is my job and it’s starting to get a little more about that.

“But I’m not one of those types that just waste opportunities and not thank the people who have helped me.

“Tennis Australia has been a big help to me. I still do have a lot of goals and aspirations for myself.

“It (tennis) is about money but that’s only a small part of it.

“I still love all the perks that come with tennis. But the feeling of winning is very important for me as well.”

Rising tennis star Destanee Aiava. Picture: Michael Klein

Aiava was acclaimed as Australia’s junior female athlete of the year at Monday’s Newcombe Medal function.

Powerfully-built, Aiava has been hewed from an uncompromising and unconventional background. Her parents — Mark, a New Zealander powerlifter; and Rosie, an American Samoan kickboxer — have helped mould the teenager with the meagre resources available to them.

Andrea Stoltenberg, a dual Wimbledon junior champion and respected coach, added her expertise, too.

With a sharp rise through the rankings — from beyond 400 to inside the top 150 — Aiava has started to reap the rewards for both performance and potential.

But, aware of the riches available on the circuit, Aiava was ignorant to the pitfalls of musing about them. The social media lashing Aiava copped after an intemperate outburst in Canberra clearly cut.

Aiava at the Newcombe Medal night. Picture: Getty Images

Aiava, who will contest the Kooyong Classic in January in preparation for the 2018 Australian Open, is keen to move on from the furore.

The right-hander is the first woman to be named as a Kooyong starter alongside a glittering men’s field headed by defending champion and ATP World Tour Finals runner-up David Goffin.

“To start off strong with the Aussie tournaments and to get my ranking up to around top 100, hopefully, is one of my goals for 2018,” she said.

“Playing in my first grand slam (2017 Australian Open) and getting that first WTA win (in Brisbane) were things I’ll never forget.

“Making my first final in Canberra was also big.”

Elevated to Fed Cup company, Aiava said she was inspired by Newcombe medallist Ashleigh Barty’s 2017 surge from outside the top 300 to No.17.

“Ash’s on a pretty good roll at the moment,” Aiava said.

“I hung out with her a bit at the Fed Cup and she’s a really nice girl.

“She’s made really good headlines this year and it’s great to see her putting in the work and it’s paying off for her. That kind of gives me motivation to be like that.”

Originally published as Rising tennis star Destanee Aiava says money matters but so does winning