“That was really hard, and that was a huge challenge for me,” said Taylor Townsend on balancing motherhood and her return to the tennis circuit. It’s a gift of god to be blessed with motherhood for many. However, for Townsend, life seemed to be in a difficult maze as she tried to figure out her own journey to gain this blessing. Though the water is under the bridge, not before Townsend battled, fertility issues, a break from tennis, the birth of her son, and her stronger-than-ever return to the tennis circuit.
It was back in 2020 after competing at US Open, that the American tennis professional announced her pregnancy. However, the story behind motherhood is harrowing to hear – Townsend suffered from fertility issues for 6 years, and she wondered about the reason for the same. She went through thyroid, weight, and PCOS tests to find the major cause because her “Tubes were blocked.”
However, all’s well that ends well as in March 2021, Townsend welcomed her baby boy, Adyn Aubrey Allen through C-section. Following this she took an 18-month break to recover and enjoy motherhood. As eager Townsend was to enjoy motherhood, he was more than ready to be back as a mother on the tennis court. She returned to the court back in 2022. And she enjoyed the best season of her career post that. Townsend reached her first major final at the US Open (doubles). Today the 3-year-old Adyn must be enjoying his mother’s exploits on the court.
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As excited Townsend was as she was throughout the birth of her child, the American was reluctant to give up on her tennis career just yet. However, her journey wasn’t an easy one. From the beginning to the birth of Adyn, Townsend struggled through it all. And after c-section, the American tennis star was in a dilemma with tennis and motherhood.
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Taylor Townsend’s journey from c-section back to the tennis court
Serena Williams made a terrific return after the birth of her daughter Olympia, despite facing a life-threatening situation. The player was back with a black cat suit to support her through her return. However, with Townsend, the c-section led to various scenarios, and the most debated one in her mind was: how was her body going to react through the transition from mother to mother-cum-tennis star?
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The determined mother took the leap, she said, “After coming back, having AJ having a C-section, I didn’t know how my body was going to react. So for me, I was like, I’d rather go err on the side of caution and test it out. Come back, whatever feedback we get, and we work on that and then go back out.“
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Taylor Townsend's comeback after pregnancy—Is she the most inspiring athlete in tennis today?
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The American tennis star certainly won the high-risk-high-reward game, as she has partners up with Jamie Murray on the Grass Slam 2024.
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Taylor Townsend's comeback after pregnancy—Is she the most inspiring athlete in tennis today?