Taylor Townsend is all about catching a vibe right now.
Off the court, the tennis star juggles partnerships with major brands like Gillette Venus, runs her own clothing label, and recently launched a new YouTube series, Down the T, covering everything from her favorite beauty trends to life on tour.
Those pursuits aren’t a distraction from tennis, Townsend told Business Insider. Having creative outlets beyond the sport has become part of how she stays energized for it — and, she hopes, keeps playing on her own terms for longer.
“For so many years, people were telling me what to do and who to be. Now I’m breaking out of that box, making so many things, manifesting,” she said. “Living my dream and creating a legacy on the court and off the court is super cool and really powerful.”
Townsend also hit a major milestone this year with her 30th birthday.
“I feel like I’m in my best years right now because of the things that I’ve experienced, the wisdom that I have, I’m in a better place,” she said.
Townsend plays her first singles match in the 2026 US Open today, and though she’s ranked #95, she tends to do well here. In doubles, she’s ranked #2 and is a favorite to win with her teammate Katerina Siniakova.
Gearing up for this year’s tournament, the tennis star said she’s prioritized staying centered — listening to her body, talking through her stresses, and spending time with her son Adyn, age 5.
Here are her non-negotiables for staying on point, and how her latest creative outlet is boosting performance.
A morning routine for mental focus
Lately, Townsend said her days have started early. To prepare for 8 a.m. practice sessions, she’s waking up early, blasting Frankie Beverly, Jay-Z, and Eminem.
Her skincare routine is famously intricate (and ASMR-friendly), featuring gua sha and European cosmetics. Combined with her hair care regimen to prep her signature bun, the process helps her get in the right mindset for a match.
Training then involves plenty of stretching and bodywork — she often posts Instagram videos from the physiotherapist’s table — to keep her feeling her best.
To stay mentally grounded, Townsend has a journaling and meditation practice, and said she loves to talk it out with her coach and teammates.
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A surprising new favorite high-protein snack
When it comes to nutrition, Townsend said she’s “keeping it very light” these days while staying attuned to what her body needs.
Long hours of training take a lot of energy. She keeps fruit strips in her bag for a quick sugar boost. She loves high-protein staples like boiled eggs and, lately, an incredible egg salad she found in New York City.
“I have these tomato basil rice cakes, and those taste like pizza. The egg salad on the rice cake, it’s so fire,” she said.
Townsend said she likes to eat the same thing all day, every day. At last year’s US Open, it was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
“Everyone is so sick of me on my team because they know I can eat the same thing every single day, multiple times a day. So they’re like, “Oh my God, you’re going to clear out the whole tennis center of their egg salad and every Target of the rice cakes,'” she said.
These days, she’s ending practice early for better longevity
At this point, Townsend has been playing tennis for most of her life, traveling internationally since age 11, and has been on the pro circuit for more than a decade. She said it’s a blessing she hasn’t endured more serious injuries than occasional outliers (like a concussion from a fall last year).
“I’m not a spring chicken. 30 is not old, but to be doing something for 15 years at this level, it’s a long time,” Townsend.
She noticed that other elite-level tennis athletes burn out. The sport is notoriously demanding, and longevity in tennis requires smart planning ahead.
“We’re seeing a lot of players now getting injured and pushing past those limits and mentally getting fried, physically getting fried because they’re pushing, pushing, pushing,” she said. “I want longevity. I want to be able to exit the sport because I want to, not because my mind or my body can’t anymore.”
Previously, Townsend was strict about practicing hard for every minute of her scheduled time, getting in extra time hitting balls after each match, and doing the most.
“Sometimes it was because I wanted to, and then a lot of the times, it was because I felt like I had to,” she said.
These days, her approach is quality over quantity.
“If I can do everything that I need to do and it feels great in an hour, then I don’t need to do the other hour. A lot of the time, we just want to check boxes and you forget about yourself. You forget about what you need,” she said.
Creative relaxation
When it’s time to unwind, Townsend’s go-to habit is spending time in nature — tough to find when she’s on tour in places like New York City.
So during the 2026 US Open, she got creative: DoorDash’d some Lego bricks to her hotel room, lit a candle, and got into her pajamas with her 5-year-old for some quality artistic time.
“I did one last night where it was flowers, and I had an amazing practice this morning. So I think that that is my new outlet,” Townsend said.
She loves puzzles, and the meditative practice of putting something together piece by piece is perfect for staying present while giving the mind a break.
“You can just vibe,” she said.
Spending quality time with her son is also a gift, in a sport when Townsend is traveling for weeks at a time.
She said it’s important to set a good example as a parent.
“Doing what I’m doing is very fulfilling because he’s seeing me do something for myself,” Townsend said. “Fighting through hard things has helped me be a better mom. The best lessons for me are the ones you live, he sees that, and it’ll become a part of who he is.”
And sometimes, on tough days, the lessons she taught Adyn come back to her: after a recent loss, Townsend said her son reminded her of the advice she had given him.
“I was telling him I made so many mistakes, and he said, ‘What do we do when we make mistakes? We try again,'” Townsend said.
