Taylor Townsend, the first mom to reach No.1 doubles rankings

Taylor Townsend is enjoying her first week as the No. 1 player in the WTA doubles rankings, having made history as the first mother to achieve this distinction. Townsend returned to the tour in April 2022, just over a year after giving birth to her son, Adyn Aubrey, in March 2021.

It’s remarkable that Townsend’s greatest career successes have come after becoming a mother. Since returning from maternity leave, Townsend won her first two Grand Slam titles: at Wimbledon 2024 and the Australian Open 2025, both alongside Katerina Siniakova, whom she has now overtaken at the top of the WTA doubles rankings. The duo also captured the WTA 1000 crown in Dubai earlier this year and advanced to the final of the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh.

Townsend’s most recent triumph came at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, where she teamed up with Zhang Shuai to win the doubles title. By reaching the final in Washington, she secured the points needed to rise to No. 1 in the WTA doubles rankings. The victory also marked a successful title defense, as Townsend had won the same event the previous year alongside Asia Muhammad.

“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,” the 29-year-old said.

“These last four years have been — really three, because 2022 when I came back, I didn’t play a full season,” she explained. “So, you know, this is my third full season back on tour since having AJ, and so to be able to accomplish this in three years is honestly phenomenal.”

Townsend is now the 50th player to hold the top spot in WTA doubles rankings history since they were introduced in 1984. She has also become the 13th American woman to reach the top spot in doubles, joining Martina Navratilova, Pam Shriver, Gigi Fernandez, Lindsay Davenport, Corina Morariu, Lisa Raymond, Liezel Huber, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula. (via: Face2Face Africa)