Fed Cup: Destanee Aiava near to handing in her P-plates

The powerful right-hander will be eligible to play a full schedule after she turns 18 early next month.

Destanee Aiava training ahead of the Fed Cup world group playoff tie between Australia and the Netherlands at the Wollongong Entertainment Centre

Emerging talent Destanee Aiava is using this week’s Fed Cup tie in Wollongong to further her education as she moves towards graduating from her tennis P-plates.

The Melburnian has been competing under age-restriction rules for the past few years but will be eligible to play a full schedule after she turns 18 early next month.

And the powerful right-hander will celebrate the milestone with a trip to Europe over the next couple of months, a journey that excites her given her preference for claycourt tennis.

It was once a rarity for Australians to prefer the slower, shifting red dirt to either grass and hardcourt events but playing on the surface is second nature to Aiava.

In part, this is due to growing up in Melbourne, which has a wide array of en tout cas courts across the city.

The crushed red brick surface has some similarities to clay in regards to its speed and appearance but, more importantly, it also requires players to slide into shots.

The National Tennis Centre adjacent to Melbourne Park also has an excellent claycourt section which is why younger talents like Aiava and Thanasi Kokkinakis feel more at home on the surface.

“Clay is my favourite surface, actually,” Aiava said. “I grew up training on en tout cas, so I have always liked clay. I am actually more comfortable on it and most of the tournaments I have won are on clay, especially growing up on it.”

Australia’s Fed Cup captain Alicia Molik this week described Aiava as “one of the brightest talents, I think, in the world at the age of 17” and the goal is to transition this promise on to the WTA Tour.

Her priority in coming weeks is to earn a spot in the French Open via a playoff for the reciprocal wildcard held by Tennis Australia in Paris prior to Roland Garros.

She was unable to compete in the closed event last year by virtue of making a run to the semi-finals at a $60,000 tournament in Saint Gaudens in France.

Aiava has already shown promise at grand slam level, including a tremendous first set against then world No 1 Simona Halep in Melbourne in January after earning a wildcard in the playoff at Melbourne Park last December.

But she is close to breaking though on her own merit elsewhere, having claimed wins in qualifying at Wimbledon and the US Open last year.

She arrived in Wollongong on Monday after winning her first title for the year in a $25,000 tournament in Japan last week, toppling Rebecca Marino.

The Canadian is on the comeback trail after retiring prematurely when struggling to cope with sustained social media abuse, a negative of professional sport that many players face.

But it was a quality win by Aiava, for Marino has been compiling wins on a routine basis as she rebuilds her ranking towards the top 100, which seems certain to happen based on her current form.

“I knew she had been a really good player before she retired and I knew she had won some titles before Japan,” Aiava said. “I knew the match was going to be tough and she had more experience, so I was a little bit nervous because she had been a top-50 player.

“I think it was a really good experience, getting my first $25,000 title overseas playing against girls I have not really played before.”

Aiava has not yet been selected to play a rubber against the Netherlands, although that may change if Australia are in a dominant position, as expected.

But the experience she is getting from training with Ash Barty, Daria Gavrilova and Sam Stosur is invaluable. Stosur is twice Aiava’s age but remains an elite claycourt player, having won a WTA title in Strasbourg last year before reaching the fourth round of the French Open, where she suffered a broken hand in a tight loss to eventual champion Jelena Ostapenko.

“I have always looked up to her. When I was little, I watched her on television and she has done really well,” Aiava said.

“I am learning a lot from the professional side of it. Just watching her train, off court and on court, getting it done and then getting out is important.

“The people of my age muck around in practice and lose focus, so it is a good experience.”