Serena Williams Joins Coco Gauff and American Tennis Stars as Taylor Townsend Shares Unseen Moments From Her Special Day

Remember when Serena Williams stood up for Taylor Townsend back in 2020, fiercely defending her against criticism from the USTA which questioned her fitness on the tour? “She’s so sweet and she works so hard. For a female, particularly, in the United States, in particular, and African-American, to have to deal with that is unnecessary,” Serena had said, making it clear she had Taylor’s back. Despite only facing Townsend once, winning their 2014 US Open clash, Serena has consistently supported the 2-time Grand Slam doubles champion. Now, as Taylor celebrates her 29th birthday, Serena has once again shown up with love, joining fellow American stars like Coco Gauff in sending heartfelt wishes. Curious about what those birthday messages said?

Just a couple of moments ago, Taylor Townsend lit up IG with a carousel of two vibrant birthday bash photos, simply captioned with the playful, “Here’s to 29✨🎈🎂 May this year filled with wisdom, prosperity, and growth”

Coco Gauff chimed in with an excited “happy birthday ❤️❤️,” while fellow American and 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys also jumped in, writing “Happy birthday boo ♥️” to mark the occasion. Then came Serena Williams, who joined the celebration, dropping a cryptic yet affectionate message: “Vintage 😝😝😝😝😂😂” 

Taylor Townsend, in an August 2022 interview with The Players’ Tribune, discussed her return to playing tennis in October 2021, following the birth of her son Adyn in March of that year. She contrasted the external view of her “fast” recovery with her own experience of it feeling like “forever.” Around the same time, Serena Williams had announced her retirement from the sport. That retirement encouraged her to deeply consider her own approach to the sport. How?

“Hearing about Serena’s plans to retire actually made me reflect on the game a lot. It really hit me that this is the end of an era. This is the end of a tennis legend’s career that I’ve been watching for the last 20, 25 years. Watching Serena compete had a huge impact on my life. She showed me and my sister both when we were growing up everything that was possible for people that looked like us. You only need to see one example, and in our case, we got lucky. We saw two. Seeing what was possible, through Serena and Venus, gave me that little glimmer of hope — as far off as it seemed and as it felt, to say, No, I can really do this.”

Taylor Townsend’s birthday celebration continued to draw warmth and love as Danielle Collins joined the wave of heartfelt messages with a sweet “Happy birthday ❤️,” while Naomi Osaka echoed the sentiment, adding an extra touch with “Happy birthday ❤️❤️❤️.” But the celebration didn’t stop with just online wishes.

One of the most touching highlights came when Townsend shared a heartfelt clip of herself cutting her birthday cake alongside her young son, Adyn Aubrey, on her social media. The moment, simple yet full of emotion, was captioned with a “😍❤️” emoji, capturing the joy she felt sharing the day with the one who means the most.

She later followed it up with a vibrant collage of party images posted on her stories, captioned, “It was an Amazing day! Thank you for all your love!!” expressing gratitude for the outpouring of love and the joy of the day.

But beyond the laughter and celebration, Townsend took a moment to reflect. This birthday seemed to bring a deeper realization.

Taylor Townsend reveals why not everyone deserves a seat at her table

Back in January, just before making history in Melbourne, Taylor Townsend opened up in an interview with Women’s Health, saying, “I’ve always had to prove to people that I’m playing well and that I look in shape. But now I don’t feel like I have to.” Her words came at a pivotal moment: she was on the verge of winning the doubles title in Melbourne with Katerina Siniaková, and she delivered. That win, following her Wimbledon triumph the previous season, marked her second straight Grand Slam doubles title, a powerful statement to those who doubted her abilities.

As a mother to 4-year-old, the 29-year-old has come to embrace a deeper truth: focusing on yourself and tuning out irrelevant noise is the real path to success. Recently, she quietly underscored that mindset with a powerful on social media. Sharing a quote by content creator Keith Allen, she highlighted a message that resonated with her journey: “The realest advice I can give you today is to let people earn their place in your life.”

She didn’t need to say much as a single “💎” spoke volumes. It echoed what she told Essence two months earlier: “You need to make sure that you are loved and that you also have people that you can lean on for guidance and direction because to think that we can do everything ourselves is ignorant.”

Taylor Townsend celebrates her birthday, proudly rising above criticism and adversity to win Grand Slam titles and earn a special place in the hearts of tennis fans. And now, as she takes a well-deserved break, let’s give her the spotlight she deserves! “Happy Birthday, Taylor!”