Years after braving body shaming & weight discrimination from USTA, Taylor Townsend proudly shows off stunning fitness transformation ahead of US Open

The current World No. 1 in the women's doubles category, Taylor Townsend, has recently shared a glimpse of her body transformation after facing body shaming and weight discrimination from the United States Tennis Association (USTA) in her early career. She shared a picture on her body transformation after her quaterfinal loss at the 2025 US Open mixed doubles on Wednesday, August 20.

Taylor Townsend is a notable player who has won eight WTA Tour titles and two major doubles titles, the 2025 Australian Open and 2024 Wimbledon Championship with Katerina Siniakova, a ten-time major champion in women's doubles.

Ahead of her 2025 US Open singles draw, she took part in the revamped mixed doubles tournament with Ben Shelton. The duo were defeated by Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison in the quarterfinal round.

Through her recent Instagram story, Townsend shared a glimpse of her body, reflecting on her promising transformation. She wrote:

"Moment of appreciation for my hard work ❤️‍🔥 🤌🏾Keep going after your goals people!

Screenshot of Taylor Townsend's Instagram story | Source: IG/tay_taytownsend

As a junior, the Chicago, Illinois, native was named the ITF's Junior World Champion in 2012, after she clinched the Australian Open titles in singles and doubles junior, along with the Wimbledon and US Open doubles titles.

However, during the same year, she was denied from competing in the US Open Junior tournament by the United States Tennis Association due to her weight issues. Furthermore, the association also denied her request for a wild card for the US Open.

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Taylor Townsend opens up about the biased mentality on singles and doubles players

Taylor Townsend at Slovakia vs USA - Billie Jean King Cup Finals - Source: Getty

Taylor Townsend concluded her 2025 Cincinnati Open tournament run with a defeat in the round of 32 in both women's singles and doubles. During her interview via the Cincinnati Open on August 10, 2025, the notable player reflected on the mentality through which singles and doubles players are perceived. She said:

“That’s kind of a very dated mentality, if you’re a singles or doubles player. It’s tennis. It’s very, very demanding, just in different ways. And I have been fortunate and blessed to be able to go very far in doubles tournaments and in singles tournaments."

She added:

"And I’m having to endure the same thing that the singles players are enduring. It’s something that should be respected because it is tennis, and it’s not fair to categorize a person as a singles or doubles player. We’re all tennis players."

Townsend became the first mother to reach the top spot in the doubles rankings after achieving the No.1 ranking last month.