Aussie tennis star Daria Saville makes a huge decision to make sure she can still become a mum despite the incredible demands of her sport
Aussie Tennis star Daria Saville has revealed that she has been freezing her eggs as she one day hopes to become a mother.
The 30-year-old, who currently sits 112 in the WTA rankings admitted that had she not been a professional tennis player, she and her partner, Luke, would have already tried to have kids.
Yet the rigours of the WTA’s global tour have meant that the pair have had to put those hopes on hold for now, with the Australian having already lost two years of her career to injury.
In recent years, Saville has battled back from two achilles tendon ruptures and issues with plantar fasciitis and is still striving to compete at the highest level.
While she is not ready to take another career break, she revealed to her followers on Instagram in November that she had been undergoing hormone treatment to help stimulate more eggs for retrieval.
The process started when she took a break from tennis in 2024 after a plantar fasciitis issue in her foot flared up at the US Open and forced her to take an extended break from tennis. It was here that she saw a window of opportunity to undergo the treatment.
Tennis star Daria Saville (pictured with her partner Luke) has opened up on why she has been freezing her eggs as she hopes to one day become a mother
Saville is currently ranked No 112 in the world having battled through several horrible injuries including two ACL tears and Plantar Fascitiis
She published a clip of herself on social media self-administering the hormones during that time on Instagram. She then posted a video of herself attending a clinic along with a friend before undergoing the procedure to have her eggs removed.
The 30-year-old also stressed that she had to check the medication was conforming to anti-doping regulations before taking it.
Saville had also been diagnosed with a condition called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) which is a hormonal issue that can reduce a woman’s fertility. Approximately 10 per cent of women have the condition.
‘We’re at that age, both 30 years old and married, and we kind of always said that if we weren’t professional athletes, we would probably try and have kids by now,’ she told The Sydney Morning Herald.
‘But I’m still playing, and I still want to compete, and for that reason, we thought: “OK, well, let’s do the egg freezing”… I was able to do that while I was injured because you need a bit of time.
‘It feels more like, “OK, I’ve ticked the box’, and it makes me feel more comfortable continuing my tennis career”. But so far, I’ve done only one cycle.
‘I might do another cycle. I know it’s not a guarantee at all, but I felt like: “OK, this is like a first step and a little bit of reassurance”.’
Saville has also admitted that she was forced to have pain relief injections in her foot just so that she could walk amid the plantar fasciitis condition that had caused her so much pain at the US Open.
Saville opened up on how she had to give herself hormone injections before she had her eggs extracted. She added that she had checked with her doctor that the injections would not breach anti-doping rules
She said that she still loved playing tennis and added that when she does eventually retire she will work to give back to the sport
She would go on to suffer a devastating first-round defeat by Ena Shibahara, before smashing her racket into the ground five times.
Some news agencies had questioned whether it was time for Saille to hang up the racket.
But the Aussie bit back at those claims.
‘There were articles after the US Open that I’m done, but I was really angry. I shouldn’t have done this interview straight off the court,’ Saville said.
‘I’m very honest, and I said how I felt at that time. I’ve said some things before where it made me look like I hate the game – but that’s not true. I love it. How often do people get frustrated with their jobs?
‘Even once I actually retire, I want to be involved in tennis and give back to the sport that has given me so much.’
