"Tennis is a very selfish sport" - Taylor Townsend lays bare harsh reality of pro life; thanks partner Zhang Shuai for helping her become World No. 1

Taylor Townsend became the World No. 1 in doubles for the first time in her career after earning the semifinal victory in the Citi Open, partnering Zhang Shuai. The American later called tennis a 'selfish sport' while revealing the selflessness of her Chinese partner.

Townsend, a 29-year-old mother, has been a doubles specialist for years. In recent times, she took her speciality a step further and added Grand Slam titles to her belt. What eluded her was the World No. 1 ranking, but she got to that soon as well.

At the Citi Open, she got the better of her compatriots Venus Williams-Hayley Baptiste in the quarterfinal before stopping the first-time team of Elena Rybakina-Emma Raducanu. After earning that semifinal triumph, Townsend made history, becoming only the 50th woman to reach the WTA doubles summit.

During a press conference in Washington after the semifinal, she was asked if she had heard any congratulatory messages. The two-time Grand Slam doubles champion explained that Shuai's dedication was one of the reasons she became No. 1.

Townsend shared that her doubles partner had told her, "You're No. 1 in my mind," and made it clear that the three tournaments leading up to the US Open were entirely focused on supporting her. Townsend reflected on how rare it is to find someone so selfless and openly committed to helping a teammate succeed.

"Tennis is a very selfish sport. It always has to be about me, me, me. So I thanked her so much, just thank you for being here, because if it wasn't for her, it wouldn't have happened. I'm really, really excited. But yeah, I'm beaming inside," Taylor Townsend said.

Townsend and Shuai went on to win the Citi Open title after defeating the pair of Caroline Dolehide and Sofia Kenin.

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Taylor Townsend called her journey to World No. 1 the 'most satisfying'

Taylor Townsend at the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 - Source: Getty

In the same press conference, Taylor Townsend described her rise to World No. 1 as the most satisfying journey she could have imagined. She spoke about how achieving this milestone after becoming a mother made it even more meaningful.

"This is the most satisfying journey that I think I could ever have had. Being able to attain the No. 1 after having my son and, you know, like, going through trials and tribulations and being able to even have the results of being a two-time Grand Slam champion, winning Masters 1000s, and accomplishing things that I had never accomplished before having my son, like, I think that makes it the most amazing," Taylor Townsend said.

Townsend’s rise to WTA doubles World No. 1 is as inspiring as it is historic. After returning to the tour in April 2022, just over a year after giving birth to her son Adyn in March 2021, Townsend steadily rebuilt her career.

Known early on as a dominant junior, she later struggled to find her footing on the pro circuit. Her breakthrough came alongside veteran partner Katerina Siniakova, with whom she clinched Wimbledon in 2024 and the Australian Open in 2025.

After propelling herself past Siniakova in the rankings to become the first-ever mother to hold the doubles No. 1 spot, the tennis world was quick to celebrate Townsend's achievement. Top American players, including Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, and Ben Shelton, shared congratulatory messages online.