Aussie tennis star Destanee Aiava has delivered a blistering statement on her father’s treatment since he almost died in a medical emergency, calling for ‘jail time’ as he remains unresponsive in hospital.
In late April, Aiava revealed her father Hassan was in a critical condition in intensive care after being found with ‘significant head trauma, including a brain bleed and skull fracture, and underwent emergency surgery overnight to relieve the pressure on his brain’.
On May 17, she gave an update on his condition on GoFundMe, revealing he had his breathing tube removed ‘for potential rehabilitation or palliative care’.
‘Today marks 3 weeks since he came into hospital with a grade 3 DAI [diffuse axonal injury, a severe brain injury] and skull fracture, a lot of us believe this wasn’t a fall or medical episode, but not much is being done and I’ve tried countless times to help the investigation further.’
Now the 26-year-old – who rose to prominence during the 2025 Australian Open – has made two shattering Instagram posts about the shattering situation.
‘There should be jail time for publicly humiliating incapacitated people and forcing someone to remain in a state they would never choose for themselves,’ Aiava wrote.
Tennis star Destanee Aiava (pictured at this year’s Australian Open) has lashed out with a blistering statement on how her father has been treated since a medical emergency left him fighting for life in hospital
Aiava’s father Hassan (pictured) suffered a fractured skull and severe brain injury that required emergency surgery. He is now facing the possibility of being put into palliative care
Pictured: The statement Destanee posted to Instagram in which she calls for ‘jail time’ over how her dad’s health battle has developed
She also included screenshots of comments about her father’s plight, including ‘let him have some dignity’ and ‘this isn’t living’.
In another post on Sunday, Aiava listed her ‘top 5 horror movies’.
‘1. hospitals 2. grieving someone who is still alive 3. knowing in your gut something bad happened and it wasn’t just a “fall” but now we all have to live without any answers 4. having lunch with dad the day before he went into hospital, watching him walk back to his car and for some reason thought it could be the last time I see him alive 5. starting to hate exercise because it’s a constant reminder of how healthy he was before this all happened,’ she wrote.
According to Hassan’s Instagram, he was working as a strength and conditioning coach and exercise physiologist before being hospitalised.
The details of the medical emergency haven’t been revealed by Aiava.
Just over $15,000 has been raised through the GoFundMe page she set up for her dad.
When the awful news first broke, Aiava described her trauma over Hassan’s health battle.
‘Seeing a parent in this situation is so traumatic especially when you’re so used to them being healthy and fit,’ she captioned a photo showing her sitting by his hospital bed.
Aiava (pictured) also revealed she had an eerie premonition the last time she saw her father before he ended up in intensive care
Pictured: Another statement Aiava posted to Instagram on Sunday
‘The last few days have been extremely overwhelming but seeing his friends and family show up for him has been amazing.
‘Please keep Mark/Hassan in your prayers.’
In February, Aiava announced that she had quit professional tennis after her time in the sport left her feeling ‘broken, bullied and disillusioned’.
She described tennis as her ‘toxic boyfriend’ before writing: ‘I want to say a ginormous f*** you to everyone in the tennis community who’s ever made me feel less than.’
‘2026 will be my final year on tour playing professional tennis,’ she began, reflecting on a journey that started with her first lesson at Casey Tennis Club and saw her become the first player born in the 2000s to compete in a Grand Slam.
‘There was a time in my career when I had reached the point that comes just before you make your big breakthrough.
‘I was only 17, unprepared and dangerously naive to the consequences of trusting the wrong people. The trajectory of my career was never the same after that.’
Aiava said she kept playing out of obligation and fear.
‘Life is not meant to be lived in misery or half assed,’ she wrote.
‘My ultimate goal is to be able to wake up everyday and genuinely say I love what I do.’
Her statement quickly turned incendiary.
‘F*** you to every single gambler who’s sent me hate or death threats,’ she fumed.
‘F*** you to the people who sit behind screens on social media, commenting on my body, my career or whatever the f*** they want to nitpick.
‘And f*** you to a sport that hides behind so-called class and gentlemanly values.
‘Behind the white outfits and traditions is a culture that’s racist, misogynistic, homophobic and hostile to anyone who doesn’t fit the mould.’
