Aussie tennis star reveals she had to SKIP her period to play on at Wimbledon

The strict Wimbledon dress code has come under fire again, with Aussie tennis star Daria ‘Dasha’ Saville revealing that she had to ‘skip her period around Wimbledon’ due to the stress of having to wear all-white at the tournament.

The dress code has historical roots dating back to the 1870s – and in fact has gotten even more strict in recent times.

Players at the All-England Club ‘must be dressed in suitable tennis attire that is almost entirely white … white does not include off-white or cream,’ according to the official Wimbledon clothing and equipment rules.

Saville (nee Gavrilova), who is currently ranked 98th in the world after a horror injury run, is a supporter of the dress code – but like other female players, she’s admitted it is stressful to adhere to. 

‘Recently just being at Wimbledon, I was talking with my friend saying that I love the all-white look, but then a few girls said they hate it because it sucks to wear all white while being on your period,’ she told The Daily Aus. 

‘It’s true, I myself had to skip my period around Wimbledon for the reason that I didn’t want to worry about bleeding through. We already have enough stress.’ 

Recently retired player Monica Puig agreed with Saville, calling for further discussion around the subject.

‘Definitely something that affects female athletes! Finally bringing it to everyone’s attention,’ she wrote on Twitter when replying to a post that discussed how menstruation is a factor for top seeds losing in the women’s draw.

‘Not to mention the mental stress of having to wear all white at Wimbledon and praying not to have your period during those two weeks.’

Saville’s period affected her tennis during her first ever Australian Open, in 2013, when she suffered a loss to Lesia Tsurenko. 

‘One time I got a period mid-match. I went to the bathroom and then was like, ‘Oh, surprise!’ We are only allowed two toilet breaks during a match,’ she wrote on Instagram. 

‘Thank God I had a female umpire. I explained to her what is happening and then I waited for someone to bring me a tampon because I didn’t have any. 

‘It was also 38 degrees on that day; that’s why I said it sucks to be a girl sometimes.’

British star Heather Watson has also revealed that she, like Saville, has also had to skip her period during the world’s most prestigious tournament.

‘I’ll probably go on the pill just to skip my period for Wimbledon. That’s the thought process and conversations that girls have about it,’ she said. 

Obviously, female athletes dealing with bleeding and other symptoms from menstruation is nothing new. 

Twenty-two-time Grand Slam winner Steffi Graf suffered through it while losing to 17-year-old Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the 1989 French Open.

Graf became ill after eating what she described as ‘bad pizza’, and looked visibly pale and weak throughout the tournament, losing several kilograms.

She was also going through her period during the final, and exited quickly from the court before telling members of the press, ‘I had my period.’ 

Saville, who married fellow Aussie tennis star Luke Saville in December last year, unfortunately lost in the first round of Wimbledon to Bulgarian Viktoriya Tomova.

She has been in good form after recovering from foot surgery, and suffered from debilitating muscle cramps in the loss.

The 28-year-old has managed to beat high-ranked players like Ons Jabeur, Elise Mertens and Petra Kvitova over the last few months in a remarkable return to form.

Husband Luke Saville unfortunately went down in round one of the Wimbledon men’s doubles alongside Matwe Middelkoop.