yesterday started the US Open of tennis that ends on September 10. Among the many participants, taylor townsend (27 years old, 130 in the world in singles and 5 in doubles in the ranking WTA) will fight for a spot in the women’s doubles final, her specialty, where she is one of the best.
But before reaching the top, Townsend He carries a personal history of constant struggle to show that his physique does not stop him from playing on any court in the world. Not even in US Open. 11 years ago, the junior number 1 was banned from playing the Grand Slam of USA for its weight. In the long run, victories are bittersweet. Now, as a mother, she is constantly competing and ruining schemes.
“Left, black and fat”
taylor townsend (4/16/1996, Chicago, IL) had to listen to derogatory comments on more than one occasion like being “left-handed, black and fat” wouldn’t get to her. He said that, at age five, he was kicked out of a tennis program. The principals told his parents that he was fat, lazy, and didn’t know how to train. He explained that “from the beginning people paid attention to my physique, they judged me before I even started walking on the court and started playing. But on the tennis court where I felt happy, where opinions were not important to me”.
Introduced as a young prodigy, he had to deal with the mismanagement of his talent and the obstacles that came his way because of his overweight. He continued to hit the ball and perfected his style. At the age of 14 his jump was impressive. Mature, quick and patient, he felt something was missing from his game until the end. transferred to Florida to continue to progress but individual achievements resist. He became desperate and the comments around him undermined his confidence. On the other hand, in doubles he reaped victories. The following week he won his first junior title at tulsa and then him australia tomorrow junior. From that moment, his life changed and the success he longed for came to him. Although he still doesn’t know that his body will continue to be a slab in front of what eyes.
Shame on the USTA
At the age of 15, he discovered that his mother had been keeping money from his winnings. He decided to surround himself with people who would help him deal with mental, physical and sports problems to face an important stage in his life.
Until the rejection of USTA (United States Tennis Federation) to participate in US Open. The news fell like a bucket of cold water on Townsend’s morale. He cried for days and cursed the decision and his judges. The USTA he was told that he was not accepted US Open of 2012. Not for full tournament or for junior. And not in any other contest in the future until he cuts his weight. Citing a health concern, the organization of US Openwith the Patrick McEnroe As the director of the youth training program, he forbade her to participate when, on her own merits, she had a wild card. Townsend He is in full physical form.
He and his family, who also did not understand the situation, expressed themselves. His mother gave a statement New York Times that lit the fuse and their protest extended to other media. This caused such a stir that he was finally able to register for the tournament but had to advance the money for the trip to New York that after USTA pass lost in the quarterfinals to Annette Kontaveit in singles but won the doubles final partnering with Gabrielle Andrews.
Motherhood, that longing
His sports career continued and he won several titles ITFwithin Oracle Challenger Series and WTA and, with the sports world on hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, she decided it was the perfect time to become a mother and on March 14, 2020 she gave birth to a child, audrey aubrey. Now comes the part of having to combine motherhood with tournaments and she tackles it by putting herself in the hands of a sports psychologist.
She explained that “after I had a child, I was experiencing postpartum depression…and I didn’t realize I was experiencing it. It took me a few weeks to recover, but the biggest part for me was not being ashamed of how I felt mentally.”
He returned to the tracks and to the trips and contests. In many ‘reels’ on Instagram, she is seen carrying and playing on the slopes with her son. To others, she shows her remorse for being away from him. In 2022 he became a finalist in doubles with McNally within US Open and in 2023 with Canadian Leylah Fernandez in Miami. He won doubles titles in 2018 (Indian Wells), 2020 (Auckland) and 2023 (Adelaide), reached the final of Roland Garros this year and a week ago he won the final of cincinnati masters next to Alycia Parks in the view of melichar and perez.
Now, having shown that there is no contradiction between tennis and his physique, he is enjoying the victories.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
