Taylor Townsend is the embodiment of Sia’s Unstoppable. How so? The 2025 Australian Open doubles champion accomplished a major feat last week after lifting the Citi Open title in Washington, D.C. She became the first mom in the WTA to reach the No.1 ranking in doubles, and she couldn’t express her emotions with mere words. Giving all credit to her 4-year-old son Adyn, she wrote, “This is a literal dream come true! Thank you, Adyn, for giving me a new purpose!” Now, a fairytale saga for Townsend, this was all eventual through her sheer determination and grit. And who can peel back the curtains on this journey better than her coach?

For the uninitiated, Townsend welcomed her son back in 2021. But before his birth, she had to go through a lot of difficulties while prioritizing her tennis ambitions. But did Townsend give up? Absolutely not. It becomes clear from an honest revelation shared by her current trainer, John Williams. In a newly posted clip by Unbox Sports on Instagram, dated July 31, the coach opened up about how Townsend planned her professional commitments even before Adyn’s delivery.

“She finds out that she’s pregnant. She comes to me and says, ‘Listen I need you to help me navigate this.’ And I laughed and I was like, ‘You are not going to be playing tennis at eight months.'” A normal person would have given up or accepted fate. But Townsend? No, she’s built different. “So she said, ‘No, the entire pregnancy.'” Despite being eight-and-a-half-months into her pregnancy, “She was in the gym still three days a week. We were training. It looked hilarious but she was there and we were still training.”

Talking about how he turned into her permanent coach, Williams revealed that exact moment when she asked him, “‘I’d like you to coach me.’ And I’m laughing and joking and I’m like, ‘I’ve been coaching you for years. What are you talking about?’ She’s like, ‘No, I want you to be my tennis coach.’ And I said, ‘You do realize I don’t play tennis, right?'” To this, Townsend’s response was, “‘Yeah, that’s why I want you to coach me, because the things that you’ve taught me, the questions you’ve asked me… nobody’s ever done those things before.'” 

Per Townsend, it was “perspective” that was going to push her “back to the top” of her game. She emphasized, “I want to be better post pregnancy than I was.’ And fast forward, here we are.”

With a career-best ranking of No.1 attached to her name now, Townsend’s only way from here is up. Currently, she’s competing at the Canadian Open, where the American has already entered the second round in women’s doubles. She and her partner, Zhang Shuai, beat Irina Khromacheva and Aldila Sutjiadi in R32.

Similar to her dream run at the Citi Open, she will now look to leave a solid impression in Montreal. But the main target will be the US Open. However, she will have a new partner during the campaign in New York this time. But he’s actually familiar.

Taylor Townsend looks to shine at the US Open with 22-year-old ATP star

Taylor Townsend‘s doubles journey has been phenomenal in the last year alone. In 2024, she won the French Open doubles title with trusted partner Katerina Siniakova. Then the duo lifted a second-straight slam trophy at the All England Club. They went on to win the 2024 Wimbledon doubles title as well. But that wasn’t it.

Earlier this season, Townsend and Siniakova lifted their third doubles slam at the Australian Open. On the Rod Laver Arena, the winning pair bested Hsieh Su-Wei and Jelena Ostapenko with a score line of 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-3.

Now, it might be the best time for Townsend to clinch her maiden mixed doubles slam too. Given her form, it seems likely that she may have a golden chance at the 2025 US Open. To accomplish her objective, the World No.1 in doubles is set to team up with 22-year-old ATP sensation, compatriot Ben Shelton.

Just days ago, 14 of the 16 mixed doubles teams were confirmed for the US Open next month. Townsend and Shelton’s names are also there on the official entry list. And guess what? Their past track record while playing together will make them a team tough to beat.

Back in 2023, the tennis mom and the rising ATP star partnered for the first time in New York. And the outcome? They succeeded in reaching the mixed doubles semis. “This is the most fun we’ve had on the tennis court in a while,” said Shelton back then. Can they both do one better this year and claim the $1 million prize money at the US Open? What are your thoughts on their prospects? Let us know in the comments below.