"I really had to dive into my personal self " - Taylor Townsend reflects on road to self-discovery after reaching 3R of US Open 2023
For Taylor Townsend, the US Open has given some major highs to her career but has also seen her plummet to some significant lows.
The 2012 edition of the tournament saw the United States Tennis Association (USTA) ask the then 16-year-old Townsend, who was the top-ranked junior at the time to sit out , owing to her weight.
The youngster split with the USTA in the aftermath and trained independently. She returned to Flushing Meadows in 2013, but it was only six years later that she logged one of the most memorable wins of her career against Simona Halep at the 2019 US Open.
Four years on, Townsend is back to making waves in New York. The 27-year-old, who returned to the sport after giving birth to her son last year, ousted the No. 19 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in her second-round encounter to the delight of home fans.
Speaking to media post her win, Townsend reflected on her long road of self-discovery, saying with so much clamor around her weight and physical appearance, she needed to dive deep to find out how she really felt about herself.
She said:
"I really had to dive into my personal self and try to figure out and break down, like, 'How do you feel about yourself, how is it that the experiences that you've had have affected you when it comes to the tennis world?' People talking about my weight, people talking about very sensitive subjects, how I look. Physical appearance is always judged from the very time you step out on the court."
"I really had to break down a lot of things and detach from that, really like say, 'Look, this is where you're at now, it's not where you want to be, set a goal'. That was the start. I set a goal."
"Can't make everyone happy" - Taylor Townsend after marching into US Open third round
Shifting her focus onto Wednesday's encounter, Townsend said she "embraced" the match environment and was showing her passion and emotion on the court.
Over the years, the American player learned to not hide who she is and care much less about what others have to say about her.
"I embraced the environment today," Taylor Townsend said. "Like, me showing the emotion and passion, pumped up, the crowd, like, doing little stuff after I hit certain shots. Like that's me."
She continued:
"So finally, like, accepting who I am and what all that means, letting it come out, letting it show and shine in stages and places like this," she cotinued. "Before sometimes I always feel like I had to act a certain way or be a certain thing or kind of measure, like, who I was. But now I'm just like, Hey, this is Taylor, take it, leave it, can't make everyone happy."
Townsend will take on 2023 French Open finalist Karolina Muchova in an exciting third-round encouter at the US Open on Friday.