Taylor Townsend: The US Open star who was told she was 'too fat' for tennis

Taylor Townsend suffered heartbreak in the US Open doubles tournament after missing out on a Grand Slam title to Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková.

The Czech duo staged a comeback against Townsend and Caty McNally in the final, triumphing 3-6, 7-5, 6-1.

But it was still a glorious return to tennis for Townsend, who was playing at the US Open for the first time since giving birth to her son in March 2021.

The 26-year-old also had the chance to prove her detractors wrong, specifically Patrick McEnroe, the former general manager of USTA player development.

Back in 2012, Townsend was the junior world number one and the reigning Australian Open juniors champion.

With the US Open looming, the American was hopeful of competing in the main draw of the Grand Slam as a wildcard.

But Townsend has claimed the USTA refused to pay her travel expenses for the tournament until she “lost some weight”, also requesting that she did not play in either the adult or junior event.

“They didn’t just alienate me for not fitting the ‘mould’ of what a tennis player should look like – they punished me,” Townsend wrote in an essay for The Players’ Tribune last year.

“They took away something I’d earned. I was fat, and I was black, so they took away my dream. Or at least they tried.”

Townsend showed extreme grace as she was interviewed by McEnroe after the US Open doubles final.

It is believed that McEnroe oversaw the decision not to give Townsend a wildcard into the 2012 US Open, and she appeared to reference this.

“I’ve put in the work, I’ve earned my way to be here,” she told him. “And everyone can see that.”

Townsend later elaborated on her point in the post-match press conference.

“I meant what I said, I said what I meant,” she said. “I