Taylor Townsend had herself a weekend.
And the tennis world was able to witness just how extraordinary it was at the D.C. Open.
The 29-year-old tennis pro became the first mother in women’s tennis history to earn the WTA World No. 1 Doubles ranking, a milestone that speaks to both her exceptional talent and the unique challenges facing mothers in professional athletics. Her ascent to the top spot became official when she and partner Shuai Zhang advanced to the final at the WTA 500 Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington.
“This is the most satisfying journey that I think I could ever have had,” Townsend shared during her post-match press conference. “Being able to attain the No. 1 after having my son and, you know, like, going through trials and tribulations and being able to even have the results of being a two-time Grand Slam champion, winning Masters 1000s, and accomplishing things that I had never accomplished before having my son, like, I think that makes it the most amazing.”
Getting back to elite-level tennis after having a baby is tough enough. Doing it while your child is still a toddler? That’s what Townsend managed to pull off. After giving birth to her son Adyn Aubrey Johnson in 2021, her path back was anything but straightforward.
“These last four years have been — really three, because 2022 when I came back, I didn’t play a full season,” she explained. “So, you know, this is my third full season back on tour since having AJ, and so to be able to accomplish this in three years is honestly phenomenal.”
With this win, Townsend has forever etched her name in the history books as the 50th woman (and did we mention only the 13th American?) to ever claim the No. 1 doubles spot. She overtakes Katerina Siniakova, who had held the top spot for 46 consecutive weeks. The achievement carries particular weight given the sport’s history of mothers struggling to maintain their competitive edge after childbirth.
In addition to this recent win, over the past 12 months, Townsend has compiled an impressive resume that includes winning last year’s DC Open title with Asia Muhammad, capturing the Australian Open doubles championship with Siniakova, and claiming victory at the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. She and Siniakova also reached the title match at the WTA Finals Riyadh to close out 2024.
The tennis community has rallied around Townsend’s achievement, with fellow stars like Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, and Ben Shelton publicly celebrating her accomplishment. “It’s super cool,” said Gauff. “ I’ve known Taylor for a long, long time and I always root for her. I was really happy to see her and I’ve always considered her one of the best doubles players — right there with [Katerina] Siniakova. It’s great to see that ranking kind of match where a lot of key players really see her as. She deserves it all.
For mothers everywhere, particularly those in professional sports, Townsend’s story is a reminder for the next generation of athlete mothers to chase big dreams, no matter how big they think they may be.
“It feels like a dream and is without a doubt one of the highlights of my career,” Townsend said.