American tennis legend Billie Jean King’s greatness knew no bounds in her active days. The 80-year-old was a stalwart on and off the court and she completely changed the face of women’s tennis. Additionally, she brought immense glory to her nation by popularizing the sport long before the Williams sisters ruled over it. Subsequently, players have looked up to her to take some valuable learnings. One such player who did so recently was Taylor Townsend.

The 27-year-old American star is one of the top players from her country playing on the WTA Tour. She is currently playing in the Billie Jean King Cup, leading her country’s chances in the tournament. Ahead of a big tie, she made a confident statement that was noticed by King.

Taylor Townsend sounds confident at the Billie Jean King Cup

A few hours ago, Billie Jean King took to her official Instagram handle to share a glimpse of Townsend’s press conference. The latter felt that her country had a good chance of winning the tournament and was confident about their performances. Reacting to this, Jean King said, “There’s nothing quite like the pride players feel in representing their countries in the @billiejeankingcup.”

Team USA faces Belgium in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers later today. Ahead of the tie, Townsend revealed that they weren’t here just to participate and hoped to dig deep in the tournament. Despite big names like Coco Gauff missing, Townsend felt that her country’s name and flag on their jerseys were enough to motivate them. Additionally, she felt tremendous pride in representing her country on a global stage, especially in the Olympic year.

The American team boasts of Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro, and Madison Keys, apart from Townsend. The latter will focus on doubles duties along with Madison Keys, while Pegula and Navarro will play singles matches. Meanwhile, Townsend is in much news as she attained a glorious feat recently.

Townsend attains her career-high ranking

In the recently-concluded Charleston Open, Townsend put on a brave show, reaching the pre-quarterfinals of the tournament. However, she lost out to Victoria Azarenka in a tightly-fought round of 16 clash. Despite her heartbreaking defeat, the American star had a massive thing to cheer for.

Townsend attained her career-best ranking in singles following her Charleston Open campaign. She jumped 11 spots to be at the 57th position. This is the result of some consistent performances from her and she would like to take a step further to accelerate her rise.

Coming to the Billie Jean King Cup tie, Team USA will play Team Belgium over the course of the next two days. Can Townsend’s confidence lead the American team to success? Let us know your views in the comments below.