It has been a rollercoaster ride for Taylor Townsend from her return to tennis after giving birth. “I’m having a second career,” exclaimed the American as she featured in the Wimbledon doubles draw. And in a quite astonishing turn of events, the American tennis star went on to win the Wimbledon championship. However, that is in the past, as the win didn’t seem to come in handy in helping Townsend evade the struggles of being a lower-ranked player as she steps into the courts of Toronto for the Canadian Open.

As the tennis scene migrates from the clay courts of Paris after a surprising and thrilling contest at the quadrennial event to the hard court swing. While some tennis stars have decided to skip a few tournaments to rest and recover, others are lining up in Canada to get ready for the last Slam of the year: the US Open. However, things are not as easy as they seem to be. Ask Townsend, who flew early morning to play in Toronto, only to wait for hours before she could play her match.

After a long wait and winning her match, Townsend took to Instagram to narrate her ordeal. “I’m tired of this shit. Played yesterday, I flew this morning, I’ve been up like since 4:00 am, packed my stuff AG’s stuff, flew from DC to Toronto.” Rightly so, playing the day before and with little rest flying to play again in another city, is not a cakewalk. However, what hurts more is the fact that she had to wait for the whole day to play her qualifier match.

Townsend further narrated her painful journey. She said, “Went from the airport, straight to the site. Had an hour and a half hit. So all the matches are going 2.5hrs on my court. Then I had to wait and go to court almost like 7:00. Played and won, and I just literally got to my room.” Why the longer wait? Because she is playing singles. Townsend has been relatively very successful in the doubles, ranked at World No.7, she carried on her winning streak from Wimbledon to the Citi Open in the USA. However, at the Canadian Open, the American tennis star is playing in singles where she is ranked World No.71.

Would things have been a bit different had a higher-ranked player? Yes, firstly they wouldn’t need to play the qualifiers, which had Townsend waiting for hours. Secondly, the matches are anticipated to be more appropriately scheduled to ensure rest and recovery for the player. However, nothing can be done now, except for Townsend to improve her ranking and stake her claim.

However, as she said that this is her 2nd career, the American tennis star would certainly look for a thumping victory in the singles, as she did in the doubles. And unlike the other times, this time she has her son right beside her to stay motivated.

Could Taylor Townsend cover her singles drought at the Canadian Open?

She has established herself as a tough competitor in the doubles category. However, the singles are still a dry game for Townsend, as she is yet to make her presence felt. Could the Canadian Open be the turning point for her? Maybe yes, as the top tennis stars recover from clay court fatigue while trying to get ready for the transition to hard court. Townsend is already a step ahead. And this could work for the American tennis star in Toronto.

It’s not as much as about winning a title as it is about making her way further into the tournament. And Toronto could provide Townsend with much-needed ranking points to rise up in the ranking. But for this, she needs to pass the qualifies to appear in the main draw.

After a successful yet tiring start, Townsend is certainly looking forward to testing her limits as players like Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff step on the court.