“I got closest with Serena Williams when I was pregnant” – Taylor Townsend reveals how American & her sister Venus Williams have helped her personally

Taylor Townsend recently opened up about how Serena Williams and her sister Venus Williams had inspired her and even helped her navigate her pregnancy. Townsend played Venus Williams in the quarterfinal of the women’s doubles at the 2025 US Open.

Serena Williams and Venus Williams created a lasting legacy with their performances on the court and beyond. The younger sister, Serena, emerged as an unstoppable force in tennis, racking up 23 Grand Slam titles to become the second-most decorated woman in the sport after Margaret Court. On the other hand, Venus Williams cemented her status as one of the most successful players, alongside her sister, boasting seven Major titles.

Taylor Townsend, who often faced the Williams sisters on court, has always expressed her admiration for them and revealed how instrumental they have been in inspiring her. As Venus Williams resumed her career at 45, Taylor Townsend played against her in the women’s doubles, where the former was paired with Leylah Fernandez.

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Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova trounced their opponents and eventually reached the finals at the US Open. In a recent episode of the Pivot podcast, the 29-year-old was asked how it felt to face Venus Williams. She expressed that the legendary sisters have always inspired her, and that Serena Williams was especially supportive when she was pregnant with her son, Adyn. She said:

"Yeah, it was honestly surreal for me. It was really cool, especially being able to experience that here. You know, Venus, you know, I've looked up to her and Serena, you know, for years, and it's been really cool even to be able to have them and have accessibility to them on a personal level, right?” (38:00)

She added:

“Like, I got the closest with Serena when I was pregnant. I went over to her house, and she put a whole Amazon list together for me of all the things that I needed to get for the baby. And like, those times were, that was the most conversation I had ever had with her."

Townsend competed in the women's singles at Flushing Meadows but was ousted by Barbara Krejcikova in the Round of 16.

Taylor Townsend once shared how Serena Williams motivated her to wear a catsuit on the court

Taylor Townsend has previously sported catsuits after watching Serena Williams rock in an all-black outfit at the 2002 US Open. Although the former was not always confident in wearing such revolutionary attire while playing. It was then that she had a word with the 23-time Grand Slam titlist and found the confidence.

"Girl, I am terrified every time I go out and I am out to wear something, just do it, just put it on," Townsend quoted Williams in an interview with ESPN in 2024. (beginning 0:16)

Townsend won the 2025 Australian Open title this year, alongside her partner, Siniakova. She also won the Wimbledon women's doubles title in 2024.

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About the author

Agnijeeta Majumder

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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