Three years ago, Aussie tennis star Destanee Aiava had to be talked out of jumping off a bridge. Now she’s on top of the world at the Australian Open

Australian tennis star Destanee Aiava just came back from the brink of suicide three years ago to claim her first grand slam victory at the Australian Open.

Aiava advanced with her first win at Melbourne Park at her sixth attempt, beating Belgium’s Greet Minnen 5-7 7-5 7-6 (10-5) on Monday night.

The 24-year-old qualifier trailed 5-2 in the second set but rallied and rattled off five games in a row, saving two match points, to send the match to a decider.

“I’m just super happy that I got through it and finally won a first round singles match in a Grand Slam, especially at my home Slam,” she said.

‘It was very fun and special. The crowd got me through.”

The stunning feat is even more special for those who know how close Aiava came to ending her life almost three years ago.

Just three years ago, Aiava was saved from suicide by a trio of strangers who refused to leave her on the bridge and comforted her as they brought her home.

“On the night of Easter Sunday (April 17) I wanted to throw myself off a bridge onto the M1, three people drove past, dragged me off the rails and drove me home,” she wrote in an Instagram post in 2022.

“I didn’t want to make it to my 22nd birthday, but I know my family and friends would be happy to know I’m still alive on this special day.

“Sometimes people you encounter in life can make you feel unworthy of being loved, but in the end I have learned, ‘God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tried beyond your strength , but with your affliction he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Aiava is now in a much better place thanks to the support of family and friends – and the incredible intervention of three strangers who helped talk her off the bridge in Melbourne.

After her win on Monday, Aiava said confidence has sometimes been an issue in the past.

“I can sometimes get into a really bad place and think that I would never win a first-round match or I would never qualify before I did that at the US Open (in 2024),” she said.

“But once I do those things and the conviction comes with it, it definitely gives me more confidence the more I find myself in these situations.”

With her first-round victory, Aiava is guaranteed to take home $200,000 – and she could take home much more if she beats American Danielle Collins in her next outing.

Aiava is guaranteed $200,000 after her win – and could earn much more if she beats American Danielle Collins in her next outing

“It means I can take someone to travel with me this year, and I can afford to actually go to all the tournaments I want,” she said.

‘It really helps. Financially speaking, tennis is so expensive. I have trouble traveling alone. Being able to take my fiancée and hopefully one of my family members to the big ones makes a world of difference.”

The Australian says trying to ignore social media has been good for her mental health, but admits it’s hard to give up completely.

‘At the moment I can deal with it well. I try to stay off my phone as much as possible and ‘I’m used to it now because I had so much when I was little. I’m older now. I can deal with it much better. I have the people around me who keep an eye on me.

“When they see me on my phone too, I feel like the only negative thing I see are other people’s comments, it’s not so much the articles that are bad. Maybe some titles are a bit clickbait.

‘I don’t think the media can do much better. It’s their job. It’s just average Joes who are bad to people.

“Everyone who came to watch and shout and support, I feel like they’re less likely to maybe make a bad comment. I have a feeling they wouldn’t have sat there watching all the time if they didn’t have a positive feeling towards both players.

‘It is precisely the people who sit behind their phones and have nothing better to do, who are sad and unhappy with their lives. I try not to think about it too much, but I like to tell them.’