MUBADALA CITI DC OPEN

July 24, 2025

Taylor Townsend

Press Conference

T. TOWNSEND/S. Kenin

6-3, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Taylor, just your takeaways on the match.

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah, I'm really happy with the way that I played. Like I said on the postmatch interview, you know, we played each other in the first round of Wimbledon, and I was really disappointed in myself. Just the way that I showed up, I knew that I could have played so much better. And it was more, like, not even about the tennis. It was internally in my mind and kind of, like, you know, how it manifested in my tennis.

So for me today, it was just important for me to do something differently, and that's the decision that I made in my mind, and, you know, I kind of let go of just winning or losing. If I win, I win; if I lose, I lose. But I wanted to show up better than I did at Wimbledon. That was the most important thing.

I know if I did that, then it's an improvement. That's how I judged myself today, and that's how I'm supposed to judge myself every day. It's not always like that.

But that's how it was today, and I'm really proud of the way I was able to show up, you know. And the scoreline reflected that, I think. But I was really proud of the way I played.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. When you know it was something that was going on mentally like the match at Wimbledon, is that an easy switch for you to make? Knowing it's the same exact situation this time, is that something that comes naturally for you to be like, whatever, I'm letting go of the results and I'm approaching this differently?

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: No, it's a conscious decision, which is why I said I had to go back and remember the feeling that I felt after I played that match. And it was something that stuck. Like, it really bothered me, like, I didn't even talk to my coach for a day. I was, like, I don't even want to talk about it.

We were quiet in the car, we went our separate ways. I was really, really upset at myself, because I know that I'm so much better than the way I showed up.

So no, it's not an easy switch at all, because tennis is a game where you know there are lots of expectations, people talk, all of these things, whatever, you know, seeding and matches won and results, all these things that go into, you know, what's supposed to happen or what's supposed to influence the result.

So for me, no, it's definitely not easy. Again, it's something that I had to consciously, like, go back, feel, analyze, and then figure out what I'm going to do differently. So I kind of had to go back and say, like, Okay, this is what happened. I knew what happened.

I knew a lot of it was in between my ears, and then it showed up with what was happening ball to strings in the court, on the court. It was something conscious that I had to maintain throughout the entirety of the match today. Because Sonya is a very difficult opponent and she never, even if she seems she's out of it, she's never out of it.

Even in the last three games she started hitting through the court more, putting more balls in the court, making me play more shots. So she's never going to give up. You know, so it's something where I had to actually win and kind of put one foot in front of the other.

Q. You had 12 aces in the first set. You had four in one game. 15 overall. When you're in it, what does that feel like? It was crazy to watch.

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Thank you. Yeah, I think my coach said I was tied for the most aces in a set or something? Is that true?

Q. That's what they said on Tennis Channel, most in one set.

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Nice.

Q. Not even that long of a set.

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Nice. So how did that feel? I mean, it felt good, but again, you know, my serve was one of the things that I really wanted to improve on in this match, because in my last singles match, my serving was okay.

I wasn't necessarily pleased with the way I served in the doubles yesterday, so it was kind of a point of focus for me in this match to kind of be more intentional with my serve, because I know it's a weapon and it can be a weapon, so I have to be intentional with it.

You know, it felt good. Now it feels good, because being able to look at the stats and being able to see, you know, kind of how things manifest when I'm hitting my spots and when I'm serving well and what type of control that I can be in when I'm serving well, that goes to show that it is a weapon, and it kind of makes me buy into it even more.

So now going into my next singles match, I'm going to be even more focused on my serve and making sure that I'm executing on my points so that I'm hitting my spots and see what happens.

But I think today, Sonya's a really great returner. She takes the ball really early and is able to create angles off of angles, so I knew that I had to be really intentional with my spots.

So for me to be able to serve that way against her, like, it gives me a lot of confidence going into my next match.

Q. On the aces and Kenin, did you see any things in her positioning or leaning that let you get even more aces? I think some days she can give up more aces as a returner. Were you reading something that was letting them pour the way you were pouring them on today?

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: No, not really, because when we played in Wimbledon, she had changed her return positioning to take away my favorite serves, and she was in the same spots again today.

I just think that obviously it's different conditions, right? We're on hard courts. The courts are incredibly bouncy here. It's hot. You know, so it's very active, which helps me a lot, helps both of us but helps me with the type of serves that I hit.

So, I mean, no, it wasn't anything that I was reading. I saw where she was standing, but it was more so I was just focused on where I wanted to hit the ball.

You know, my coach and I have practiced my serve quite a lot and have worked on building it as a weapon, and so it's, like, I know that it is that, like I said. So I just need to make sure I'm taking my time and being intentional with where I want to hit the ball.

That's what I did today. I took my time. You know, there were times when I messed up. I hit one serve that I was, What the heck? I thought the racquet was going to fly out of my hands. The toss was right at my eyebrows.

You shake it off and you move on. No, I'm happy with the way that I was serving today.

Q. Just to go back to Europe a bit, I think when you were training in Portugal this year, you put up a few stories on Instagram about the struggles of being an athlete, just coming back from an injury that happened in Miami, and then going into the European swing. It was a very, I think, vulnerable moment and you were sharing that with other people. Is that something you're willing to do more? What is that experience like as a professional athlete going through that? You looked so happy on court today. That was the one thing I noticed, your smile, and happiness to be there with your son and all of that.

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah.

Q. So how is that transition for you?

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah, I mean, it's something that I definitely lean into. I pride myself on being relatable and, you know, I don't put on for anyone or anything. Like, I have had to go through some of the hardest struggles and the most personal struggles in the public eye, and so, you know, for me and some really very kind of intimate topics that had to be a topic of conversation literally around the world as a child and having to defend myself as a kid.

So for me, at this stage at 29, I'm, like, I don't have anything to hide. You know what I'm saying? I don't want to put on -- I feel like the people who support me support me because they know that I'm real and honest, and I'm going to give the truth.

So, yeah, that was a difficult time. You know, I was home for two months with my son. I had a concussion, which was its own set of issues and its own set of struggles within myself.

Then I don't even remember the last time I had been home for two months straight with my son and then leaving. I think I was five weeks in Portugal, and so it's difficult. You jump right back into it.

This life is not an easy life. You guys don't know this, but I actually injured myself again. That's why I was in Portugal. I was playing a 125 and I rolled my ankle. I was up a set and a break and rolled my ankle and had to go to Portugal to rehab to get ready for Wimbledon.

It was a lot of frustrations and emotions around that. You know, I'm happy that you're able to see joy and happiness, because there is so much stuff that's happened this year, where I'm, like, I'm just happy to be out here and playing and healthy. There are so many things.

The concussion was such a freak accident. The ankle thing was such a freak accident. Literally my shoe got caught in the line of the court, and it just...

So it's so many things that have put me in positions where you could say why? Why me? And all this stuff. But I'm just grateful to be out here and healthy and enjoying it, right? Ultimately, like, you guys know, tennis, there is a tournament every week, so you have the opportunity to be able to play.

I'm in the position where right now I'm grinding, trying to get my singles ranking up, so going from one tournament to the next tournament to the next tournament to the next tournament, basically playing every day, and it's part of it. But I'm happy to do it.

I have great people around me that make this journey a lot more enjoyable and not so, you know, monotonous and not so solitary, which helps a lot. You spend more time with your team than you do with your family and your loved ones. I have seen my coach more than my son, and he's seen me more than he's seen his family.

So yeah, this is definitely something I'm happy to share and continue to share. I think there have been a lot more players who are vocal and open about the struggles of the scheduling and how demanding that it is and how it does take a toll on both your mental and physical health.

A lot of people are pulling out of Montreal and Toronto. People are tired. It's a lot of tennis, a lot of traveling, living out of a suitcase. You don't have any time off.

Post-Wimbledon, back in the day, was you had three to four weeks, three weeks, like, to recharge. That was the recharge period. Now you've got a week, if that, you know. So it's very difficult.

But, yeah, it's definitely something that I do lean into and will lean into more. I've gotten a lot of very positive responses from people, you know, just thanking me for sharing that. I don't do it for that, but I'm glad that it shares a certain light and insight.

Q. You have said throughout your career on different mediums that you are a really good tennis player who happens to have a higher doubles ranking than a singles ranking. I'm wondering about today's win, a big win getting you into the quarterfinals of a 500. Do wins like this help validate that for you?

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: No. The reason I say that is because I know that it's possible. So it's validation that I'm on the right track and doing the right things. It doesn't validate me as a player or what I know I can do.

It just validates that I'm doing the right things at this time. I'm on the right track. I did the right things today.

But you guys know with tennis I have to show up tomorrow and the next day and the next day. So this is one of the things where I'm really proud, and I'm going to sit with myself and, you know, enjoy this moment. It was really nice to be able to have my son, my best friend's daughter there, you know, loving on me after the match and before.

But it's one of the things where you take it and I have to move on, because tomorrow is a new day. But I feel the same way. I know that I'm a great tennis player. I know my capabilities and my abilities, and my journey has just been different than others.

You know, comparison robs joy. So, you know, I have fallen into that trap a lot throughout my career, especially when I was younger, comparing myself to the people who I was coming up with in my journey, and how mine wasn't like this (demonstrating). It's been like that (demonstrating).

It's made me who I am and it's made my appreciate every step of the way, and being able to have somebody say, externally, like, You look so happy playing, that's a win.

Q. In D.C. it's just so great to see so many Black fans of all ages. In the stands, local Black players on the court, folks like you trained here. What are some lessons that other tournaments or cities could learn from here, what's happening here?

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: That's a loaded question (smiling).

I don't know. I mean, D.C. is known as Chocolate City. So there are a ton, it's a heavy community of Black people here, and, you know, they come out and they support and they show love, and I think that it's showing.

You know, I don't know what other tournaments or other cities can do, because, you know, sometimes you don't always have that access and availability of, you know, such a strong Black community. It's not always there. Next week we're going to Montreal. I don't know what the Black community is like there, but I don't know. Then the week after that we're going to Cincinnati. It's like it's very different demographics.

And the thing with tennis, it's an international sport, so we're going all around the world, so you have different fandom in different places. That's one of the beautiful things about the sport where we're able to draw from so many different cultures, people, influences from all around the world. It's beautiful because all the people are coming together to watch this sport, both men and women.

So personally I'm really enjoying it, because we're showing up and, you know, to be able to see all of these beautiful kids, you know, any race, I don't care what the race is, coming up, Oh, my God, I'm so happy to see you, you're my favorite, you did so great, that's what it's all about, being able to inspire people no matter what the race is.

Being out here and being able to play and play the way that I played and to be able to speak and to be able to talk to you guys and publish the words that I'm saying to inspire other people to get out here and do something, this is what it's about.

I'm so proud to be able to be here and to be able to represent, but I'm also more proud to be able to inspire whoever it is that I inspire. That's the biggest thing for me.

Q. I just love listening to you.

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Thank you.

Q. My question was, I think you touched on it here and there earlier, but as someone who was in the public eye so young, I'm curious what you think when you see another young teenager come up in the last couple of years, I think like an Alex Eala at 19, all the attention she got right away, and if you feel the apparatus, so to speak, has evolved to a point where maybe a young Taylor Townsend coming up at 20, 25 wouldn't have to go through what you went through?

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah, I mean, there hasn't been anyone who has gone through what I went through since I went through it, so I think things have changed a little bit. Which is great, right? Hopefully things don't repeat itself and people have learned.

I say this all the time. When I was going through the whole body image thing, there was no body positivity movement. That didn't exist. That came after the fact. And the topics of being able to talk about body positivity and all these things, that happened later.

You know, so it was common to scrutinize body types and give a person a body archetype and what you should be and having to put people in this box. And now, throughout the years, it has evolved into shattering those boxes and basically people being able to accomplish whatever they want in their fields, however you look and whatever.

So, you know, I don't think that it's comparable because our, like, the journeys of the younger generations are very, very different. You know, as someone who came up young, I always say, like, Make sure that you have great people around you.

It seems likes Alex has really great people around her. I practiced with her three times in Miami, and maybe I was her good-luck charm (smiling). But I practiced with her a couple of times, and she seems very sound, very kind, very well-spoken.

There is a lot of very young players who seem like they know what to do, but the journey is very different. You know, I hope that they don't have to go through that, but, you know, if a young girl or young guy is coming up, I always will just say, like, Make sure you have great people around you. Make sure that you're paying attention to the information you're getting, and listen to your voice and listen to your gut.

Because when you're young, you're around so many adults, so it's easy to get kind of sucked into the just listen to me and you focus on tennis, and that mutes your voice and that mutes your gut feeling, and you always have to go with that.

That would be my only advice. You know, I'm always open if anyone ever wants to talk and wants to converse, I'm always here for them. You know, whether they take that or not, that's on them. I'm not going, Hey, let's talk. I want to talk to you.

But, you know, I have been enjoying kind of like turning into the old head on tour, if I'm being honest. It's kind of funny. I look around, like, whoa, 17? Born in 2000-something? This is crazy. I feel so old.

But I don't feel it in my mind. Just in this realm. But yeah, it's great. We have a really great group of women who are coming through and inspiring. I'm excited for the trajectory of both men's and women's tennis. It's looking great.