Taylor Townsend: ‘Having a child doesn’t stop you from being great at whatever you do’

Australian Open
Taylor Townsend in action

Taylor Townsend is out to make her trip to Australia worthwhile and took a giant leap towards that goal with a first round win.

The increased early round prize money at the Australian Open, means that Townsend’s 6-1, 6-1 win over France’s Diane Parry will see her bank over $100,000 from her adventure Downunder.

Townsend admits that it is tough for her to be away from her two-year-old son to compete on the WTA Tour.

“When I leave, it’s incredibly important for me to make the times that I leave count,” Townsend told reporters in Melbourne. “I talk to [Adyn], and before my matches I look at pictures and videos and just remind myself of why I’m doing this and why I’m away, so it means something.

“It really is special to make these moments count and to be able to show the ups and downs. Like, the way that my singles started in the first match of the season (she lost 6-0, 6-0 in Adelaide qualifying) compared to this one, like, it just is in a short amount of time for me.

“It just shows [people] to continue to work and those results don’t define you. You just have to keep your head down and continue to push on.”

Townsend is still a full-time WTA Tour professional and says that there is a misconception about the financial situations of player’s who aren’t among the sport’s elite.

“I want to enjoy being a mother. I want to understand my son. I don’t want to feel the pressure of I have to play.

“You have to take into consideration that the financial situation of everyone is different. My financial situation versus Kim’s [Clijsters] financial situation versus Serena’s versus Vika’s, we’re in different circles. By a certain time, I need to start playing so I can start making some money again. I need to start replenishing the pot.

“I want to enjoy being a mother. I want to understand my son. I don’t want to feel the pressure of I have to play.

“You have to take into consideration that the financial situation of everyone is different. My financial situation versus Kim’s [Clijsters] financial situation versus Serena’s versus Vika’s, we’re in different circles. By a certain time, I need to start playing so I can start making some money again. I need to start replenishing the pot.”

Townsend is determined to show that mothers can get back onto the WTA Tour and get back to winning.

“My goal is just to try and inspire people and moms to show that you can do whatever you want,” Townsend.

“Having a child doesn’t stop you from hustling and grinding and just being great at whatever you want to do.

“I’m just trying to be the best example that I can for him both when he is with me and when he is not here. Hopefully making him proud.”

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