No. 116 Taylor Townsend's stunning upset over reigning Wimbledon champion and world No. 4 Simona Halep on Thursday launched her into the third round of the 2019 US Open.
Townsend spoke to the media after her victory about what it means to overcome her doubters, what it's like to fight personal battles in public and being part of the next generation of top American tennis talents.
Townsend's most relatable comment, though, came when she was asked about her near-decade-long journey to reach her full potential. Of course, Townsend, now 23, has been in the public eye—and the subject of great expectations—since she was a teenager.
Check out some quotes from her press conference, below.
Q: You mentioned something about overcoming doubters. For you they were very real. How has it been fighting that off over the last seven or eight years? Do you ever let that get to you?
Taylor Townsend: Yeah, I mean, it's never easy because I think, as a lot of you guys know, I've dealt with a lot of personal stuff in the media limelight. So it's really hard to deal with when personal issues are publicized because you have to make up your mind how you want to deal with that. It's always attached to you. You have to kind of maneuver through those things.
Yeah, I mean, it's been a long road. A lot of haters, a lot of people who weren't sure. I mean, I've heard for a really long time that I was never going to make it, that I wasn't going to be able to break through or do this or do that.
For me, especially over this last year, I've really embraced thriving in these kind of conditions, being able to prove people wrong. I've always been that way, but I think I suppressed that side of me for a long time. Now it's like, 'This is the person I am.' I love it. I thrive in these kind of conditions and I think it showed today.
Q: You're a player that people love watching. People root for you, tweets are blowing up in terms of fans being happy for you. How do you balance that positivity of people rooting for you against the haters and the negativity that you feel?
Taylor Townsend: Well, I actually went on a social media sabbatical for a year-and-a half. I was just tired of it. I didn't really know why it was bothering me. I was just, like, I can't do this anymore.
Then I went back on. I think it was more growth in myself, saying, 'When do you ever meet these people? Like never.' You know what I mean? Realizing that the things that people say don't matter. It's how you feel about yourself, how you feel going out on that court.
Anything that anyone else has to say, it literally is null and void. I truly believe that from the bottom of my heart now. You can say it, and a lot of people say it, and talk the talk but don't walk the walk. You know what I mean?
For me, I truly believe that. I know where I stand. I know who I am. I know what makes me tick. Going along with that, like I said, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. You dust yourself off and you keep going.
Q: There are always conversations about the next generation of U.S. women's tennis players. Do you feel you've been overlooked in recent years in that conversation?
Taylor Townsend: I don't know. I mean, honestly, that conversation doesn't really matter to me. It's an ever-evolving door. Any time someone has one good result or two good results, they're 'the next.' You know what I mean?
Maybe I was [overlooked], maybe I wasn't. I don't know. But it doesn't matter because I'm here now.
