Love or hate, these girls will shine! “To those who thought they were putting water on my fire, you were really adding gas to it and now I’m really burning so bright right now” – remember this statement from Coco Gauff? We often see tennis players facing the wrath of the fans during their matches. Sometimes players simply ignore it, but then there are times like these when they hit back to the haters. Recently, Gauff’s compatriot, Taylor Townsend was seen shutting down the haters with a similar speech after her QF triumph at the mixed doubles event at the 2024 US Open.

America’s Taylor Townsend and Donald Young secured their place in the SF of the mixed doubles after defeating the duo of Harri Heliovaara and Anna Danilina by 6(3)-7, 6-3, 10-8. During the match, some fans reportedly said something to Townsend which perhaps made the 28-year-old a bit offended. Although, she didn’t say reply back harshly to them at that time, as soon as she finished the match Townsend was seen taking a jibe at them.

During the on-court interview, Townsend said, “Shout out to the haters in that corner over there. They’re gone. Where are you? I don’t hear you anymore. It’s okay. It’s okay. No, no, no it’s okay! They’re gone. I don’t hear them anymore.” Townsend a player who has weathered quite a few storms to make a breakthrough in the top tiers of the tennis world. So, she knows exactly how to deal with these negativities. Be it on the court or off the court, Townsend nails them all!

For example, Townsend’s incredible hand-eye coordination and athleticism right from a young age, helped her become the first American junior player to finish the year as world number one in 30 years. She won several big titles after that, everyone labeled her as the future star of American tennis. However, the USTA had some concerns over fitness and they felt it wasn’t at the level to compete on the highest stages of the game. 

They withheld her funding for traveling to a few competitions like the US 18s nationals and the US Open. Patrick McEnroe was then the general manager and he said, “Our concern is her long-term health, number one, and her long-term development as a player.” Recalling these dark phases in her career, Townsend once said it’s really hard to deal with that kind of stuff when personal issues get publicized.

She added, “You have to kind of maneuver through those things. It’s been a long road. A lot of haters, a lot of people who weren’t sure. I’ve heard it for a really long time that I was never going to make it, that I wasn’t going to be able to break through or do this or do that.” However, amid all these struggles, there were few who stood beside her like a rock in these tough times. Who were they?

“They took away my dream” – Taylor Townsend

She was just 16 when she became the juniors no.1. Once there, Townsend felt that everyone would be proud of her performance. She felt she’d be “treated like a part of American tennis,“ but it didn’t go according to her plans. In 2021, during an interview with The Players’ Tribune, we heard her say, “I was fat, and I was Black, so they took away my dream. Or at least they tried.” This was quite an unfortunate moment in her career. However, the USTA was later on heavily criticized for their decision. 

Lindsay Davenport explained, “Women athletes come in all different sizes and shapes and colors and everything.” Even Chris Evert has shown her support for Townsend multiple times in her career. Evert was among the first ones to spot Townsend’s raw talent when she was training with USTA at her academy in Boca Raton, Florida.

Reflecting a bit on Townsend’s story in an interview with USA TODAY Sports, Evert said, “For her age, she’s gone through a lot more than other girls. There were a lot of people who didn’t believe in her and gave up on her. At the end of the day, she’s kind of giving it back to them.” She even advised her, “I want her to hold her head high and walk like a champion. It’s such a great story.”

Evert believed Townsend was a great athlete with enormous potential from the early days. She has won 7 doubles titles in her career, including the recent one at the 2024 Wimbledon. Apart from these two tennis legends, she also gives credit to her mom for shielding her from such nasty attacks. Townsend has seen a lot of ups and downs throughout her career and it’s nice to see her struggles are now getting rewarded with incredible results.