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Taylor Townsend is petitioning to be allowed to consume carbs ahead of the 2023 Italian Open, as she makes her women’s double Top-10 debut.
Townsend will be marking her maiden appearance at the WTA 1000 Italian Open this week. This is the first season that the 27-year-old is contesting WTA 1000s outside the United States.
Moreover, with her latest Madrid Open women’s doubles semifinal finish alongside Leylah Fernandez, Townsend has also reached a career-high doubles ranking of World No. 6.
Speaking about the exciting fortnight that lies ahead for her in Italy, the 2022 US Open doubles runner-up declared that she will be in high spirits throughout the event.
“It’s just getting started. I’m telling you. This is the energy I’m keeping. Jamie Foxx glasses, pop the collar,” Townsend jokingly boasted during her conversation with Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj.
The American suggested that she has been following a strict diet while on tour, but is putting together a petition to persuade her coach to ease the restrictions while in Rome.
“Got to talk to my coach about that, actually. You already know how this goes,” she said.
“I’m actually putting together a petition to have people to sign so I can have carbs in Italy. That’s my petition. So, now everyone knows, Taylor can have carbs in Italy,” she jokingly added.
"I had no ranking; Like, zero" – Taylor Townsend on her successful career turnaround in the past year
Taylor Townsend resumed her tennis journey in April 2022, a year after giving birth to her first child Adyn Aubrey in March 2021.
Townsend, who hadn’t contested a single tournament in more than a year, had fallen out of the ranking charts. Things, however, are looking up for the 27-year-old, as she now enters the World’s Top-10 in women’s doubles for the first time in her career.
Ranked World No. 6, Townsend has accumulated outstanding doubles results, like making the finals of the 2022 US Open and 2023 Miami Open, the semifinal of the 2022 French Open and the 2023 Madrid Open, and titles at the 2023 Adelaide International 1 and Adelaide International 2.
Townsend expressed gratitude about her progress and stated that seeing her efforts come to fruition was a “blessing.”
“I was like bawling crying. I was in tears. Because, I thought about the journey of what it took to get here and I was like, ‘Wow! You really did it!’” she said in the same interview with Prakash Amritraj.
“Literally this time last year – April (is) when I came back. I had no ranking. Like, zero. I was not on the computer. And to look a year later and now, Top-5, Top-6, Top-10 in the world – it’s really a blessing,” she continued.
“It’s just amazing because I know that I’ll always been able to do it. But, actually like, it coming to fruition – It just all kinda came at one time and I was really thankful, and I had a really strong moment of gratitude,” she concluded.
Towsend will contest the women’s doubles at the Italian Open, partnering with Canada’s Leylah Fernandez. The American, who is ranked World No. 168 in singles, has also successfully qualified for the singles main draw and will face Belgian Ysaline Bonaventure in the opening round.
