Days After Clinching Australian Open Title, Taylor Townsend Shares Update as She Tackles Scorching Heat Ahead of New Event

On Sunday, Taylor Townsend had a full-circle moment at the Rod Laver Arena. The last time she played at the famous court was in 2012, as a junior, winning the title. 13 years later, she was celebrating her second Grand Slam title at the same venue with Czech partner Katerina Siniakova. Townsend was emotional afterward talking about what the win meant to her and she is already getting busy in preparation for the Singapore Open. However, it is not off to an ideal start.

Townsend has developed a knack for performing on the bigger occasions, with the Australian Open title success a follow-up to her and Siniakova’s Wimbledon win last year. The duo also reached the US Open semifinals and the WTA Finals title match, while Townsend moved up two places to a new career high of No. 3. But as he looks to add to her recent success, she is feeling the heat, quite literally.

Just a day after her Australian Open triumph, Townsend landed in Singapore to partner with Caroline Dolehide for the Singapore Open. Their first-round match will pit them against Xu Yifan and Moyuka Uchijima. The transition from Melbourne to Singapore hasn’t been entirely smooth, though, as Townsend was quick to note the soaring temperature.

The doubles World No.3 shared a candid Instagram story, commenting on the country’s sweltering weather. “Landed in Singapore, walked outside and I started sweating,” she wrote, describing the humid 28-degree Celsius conditions with 99% humidity.

The heat wasn’t just a factor in Singapore. Townsend and Siniakova’s Australian Open doubles final also took place in warm conditions. Played on Australia Day, the temperature hovered around 22 degrees Celsius (71.6 degrees Fahrenheit) during the mid-afternoon, and the sunny court presented its own set of challenges.

While the shadows stretched across the surface, making visibility difficult, Townsend and Siniakova stayed focused, overcoming the elements and their opponents to secure the title.

The 28-year-old American with her doubles partner Siniakova defeated Hsieh Su-Wei and Jelena Ostapenko in a thrilling three-set match: 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-3. Speaking after the match, Townsend opened up on how much the win meant to her.

“This is super-special to me,” the left-hander said. “The last time I played on this court, I was 15. I won the juniors here, that was the kickstart. Being here is so special to me because this tournament was the start of me living out this dream. I honestly didn’t think playing on this stage was possible when I played the juniors, so 13 years later to be holding this trophy, it really is amazing.”

Describing the feeling of playing at the court where she found success as a 12-year-old, she mentioned, “It’s amazing that when you go out to these courts, you hold memories, and you remember what those feelings are. Being able to step back on the court and practice there, it kind of brought back those memories and how it felt, the little girl with braces and bows in her hair. It was really special.”

In Singapore, Towsend will be in singles action as well. She will face Belgian No. 2 seed Elise Mertens in the opening round of the Singapore Tennis Open on Tuesday. In the doubles match, Townsend and Dolehide will square off against Moyuka Uchijima of Japan and China’s Xu Yifan in the first round on 29 January.

With the Australian Open win, the American is now an eight-time WTA doubles champion, with seven of those titles coming after her return from maternity leave in 2022. Meanwhile, Townsend’s success Down Under didn’t go without scrutiny from a few legends, who called out the organizers for making the finalists play in the partial sun, causing problems to those watching from home.

Tennis icons criticize Australian Open for conditions during Taylor Townsend’s match

The conditions during the match didn’t go unnoticed by tennis legends, who voiced concerns about the tournament’s scheduling and its impact on visibility for fans.

Pam Shriver, a former doubles star herself, was vocal about the issue on social media. “Congratulations to doubles winners but can we do better than this when roofs are available to help with shadows? Doubles viewers on TV deserve better than this,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Shriver’s frustration was shared by Martina Navratilova, one of the greatest doubles players in history, who retweeted Shriver’s post with a succinct yet emphatic response: “Amen to that!” Both legends agreed that the shadowed court, coupled with the rapid pace of doubles tennis, made it tough for fans to follow the action on TV.

The quick turnaround from Melbourne to Singapore is a testament to the American doubles star’s commitment to staying competitive, even amid challenging conditions.

Taylor Townsend’s journey from the Australian Open to the Singapore Open shows her relentless drive to compete at the highest level. Will she overcome the heat and keep her winning streak alive?