US Open finalist denies playing pickleball during Flushing Meadows run
Donald Young says that he was fully committed to his mixed doubles run with Taylor Townsend at the US Open and wasn’t tempted to get any pickleball in during the tournament.
Young has transitioned from the ATP Tour to playing professional pickleball and took part in the CIBC PPA Atlanta Slam shortly after the US Open.
He insists that he eschewed picking up the paddle while still in the thick of action at the final Grand Slam of the year.
Young had to give himself a break after partnering Townsend to reach a Grand Slam final for the second time in his career.
He stopped in at City Pickle in New York before his mixed doubles commitment.
“I went to City Pickle once before the tournament started and that was it, I won’t lie to you,” he said when Baseline asked him if he had held a paddle during the tournament.
Young was thrilled to be able to say farewell to tennis by playing with Townsend, who is a long-time friend of the 35-year-old.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while, late last year that this would be my last year, and I wanted to finish at the Open,” Young said.
“[Townsend] said it would be an honour to play with me when I asked, so I was excited. I’ve known her since birth, I was the ring bearer at her family’s wedding, so I’ve known her a long time; it was cool.
“After I finished the mixed final, my neck totally locked up, all the stress hit me, so I was pretty done, but it was good to get some reps in [on Monday].”
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Young revealed that he has managed to drag Townsend onto the pickleball court but says that she is really focused on her tennis at the moment after a great year which has included a Wimbledom women’s doubles title alongside Katerina Siniakova.
“I’ve got her out a couple of times; she really enjoys it,” Young added when quizzed about Townsend’s pickleballing experience.
“But she’s doing so well in tennis, winning Wimbledon and whatnot, so it’s going to be a long time. Hopefully, I’m still playing and we can run it back one time.”
Young reached the Roland Garros men’s doubles final alongside Santiago Gonzalez in 2017 while he peaked at No 38 in the ATP singles rankings in 2012. While he was never able to win a singles title on the full ATP Tour, Young won eight Challenger titles and represented the United States at the 2012 Olympics.
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