Australia, 6 September 2024 | Jackson Mansell

Destanee Aiava has learned many important lessons throughout her tennis career.

Among them, according to the 24-year-old from Melbourne, is the need to structure your training routines to best suit you.

This has helped Aiava achieve career-high rankings of world No.147 in singles and world No.133 in doubles.

Fresh from qualifying at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career at the US Open, Aiava shares an insight into what this looks like for her in our “Train with the Pros” series.

Do you have a favourite time of day to practice?

Definitely in the morning because I feel like that’s when I have the most energy. I usually hit from 10am. I just get up, have breakfast and then go straight to the court. Most of the time I try to get my mum (who is also her fitness coach) to do my fitness straight after my hit, just so I have the rest of the day to myself.

How many hours, on average, would you spend on the practice court per week?

I do a two-hour hit a day, six days a week.

Do you have a favourite part of your game to work on?

My volleys. I think it’s so fun and I actually used to hate playing doubles, but now I’m loving it and that’s one of my favourite things to practice in a session. I love doing a little doubles session and probably my serves as well.

Do you have a least favourite part of your game to work on?

My drop shots, because sometimes they’ll be lobs. I’m not very crafty with my drop shots.

Can you recall the first professional player you had the opportunity to hit with?

It might have been Ash Barty. I did hit with Serena Williams as well. It was definitely intimidating, especially because I was younger and the sessions were pretty intense. They have both done so much for the sport and they’re super inspiring, it was definitely another level on the court as well.

Can you recall any training sessions you were particularly nervous for?

Probably one with Ash Barty when I was in Brisbane at the NTA (National Tennis Academy) and when she was still playing. It was a session with her and Maddy Inglis. I was pretty tight that one.

Is there any player on tour you’d love the opportunity to hit with?

Ben Shelton, because he’s my favourite player to watch at the moment. I think his game is amazing and he’s so intense, but he’s also the coolest guy at the same time.

Is there any player from tennis history you’d love the opportunity to hit with?

Chris Evert. I’ve seen videos and Pinterest photos of her and her outfits, and they were so nice. She’s aesthetically pleasing. It’s her elegance on court, that’s what she exudes.

What advice would you give to an aspiring player to get the most out of a training session?

Definitely get to know yourself a bit more and what works well for your game. Whether it’s a three-hour session or a good, hard 45 minutes, I think that was really important for myself to learn. I work best in a shorter time frame. I’m a lot more focused then, instead of going for three or four hours.

Finally, if you had five minutes remaining in a practice session and could do anything you wish, what would it be and why?

I would just practice my drop shots, because it requires the least amount of effort.

> READ MORE: From our “Train with the pros” series

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