US OPEN

September 5, 2024

Taylor Townsend

Donald Young

Press Conference

ERRANI-VAVASSORI/Townsend-Young

7-6, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. It's not the result you wanted, but you made it to the final as a wildcard. Can you talk about, Donald, how did it feel to play on Ashe for your last match?

DONALD YOUNG: It felt cool. You know, obviously wasn't the result we wanted, but I can't think of a better spot, place to go out in, having, you know, watched that as a kid, and playing with someone I've known our whole life. It's pretty cool for me.

Again, you know, if you would have asked me this question at the beginning of the tournament, I would have been happy, it would have been surreal. This is pretty cool.

Q. If you could back and change anything about the final match, what would you have done differently?

DONALD YOUNG: Us win match point. (Laughter.)

But, yeah, no, in the moment, you're just doing the best you can. We had some moments. Tennis is a few points here or there. They played the points a little better today.

But again, I think they won the match. I don't think it was so much us losing. They played well. It wasn't just our mistakes. They actually earned it and played well. That's how the chips fell.

Q. Taylor, do you want to add anything on that question?

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: No, we just lost the wrong last point. That's it.

Q. A question to both of you. The sport has this way of, it's not just about the singles, there's so many opportunities in different ways. With someone like Sara Errani, 12 years ago she was in semis in singles here and now she's back in slams. You get this opportunity. Can you talk a little bit about that part of this sport and how there's so much more value in it than just the main stage or the main events.

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah, well, I think that the tennis world has a way of indoctrinating people's minds into thinking that you have to just fit into one box. So singles player, you're a singles player; doubles player, you're a doubles player. You know, you can't really evolve outside of those boxes.

That's why it's, like, so surprising for people to see, you know, someone playing three events and going far in all of them. Oh, my gosh.

So for me, I think that first it shows the level of commitment to be able to play for this duration of time and to be able to, like, transition, because that's not easy. You know, being a semifinalist, finalist of Grand Slams and playing at that level in singles and then having to kind of transition over to only doubles and still trying to play singles on the lower level, so it's not easy. It's hard to navigate that road.

I mean, last year I played Errani in the semifinals of a 125 in Florence. So it just goes to show that, like, never give up when you feel like you still have the level.

But I think that it's amazing that, you know, people like her at that age in this space that have accomplished what she's accomplished, that still have the ability to be able to be on these stages and win tournaments and slams like that, it's amazing.

You know, experience was definitely on her side. You know, she's been here before. I've been here before, so it was great because I wasn't as nervous as I've been in the past.

But yeah, I mean, it just goes to show it's also how the game is evolving, being able to tailor more towards people peaking later in their careers and going later in the latter stages of their lives. Hopefully that's not me because I want to have a life, but we'll see. (Laughter.)

Q. Donald?

DONALD YOUNG: Yeah, the game, it's there. Players are taking care of themselves better so they're lasting a lot longer. It's a career that, you know, most careers, you don't stop after ten years of doing it.

But this is awesome that people can have 15-, 20-year-long careers and can continue to earn and do something you've given your whole life to to play. It's awesome someone like her can transition from one side of it to another side and still, you know, earn a great living, live the life.

In that sense, it's awesome that players are playing longer and that players like her are able to, like, kind of pivot and find another niche there that they can do well in.

Q. Donald, during this tournament, have you done some specific pickleball shots during some points?

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: He better not have. You did hit one. You hit a volley straight in the bottom of the net. I was, like, Oh, my God, that was a dink. I was, like, what the hell was that?

DONALD YOUNG: There's actually a few -- I don't want to say there's a bunch of crossover but there's some with the movement, like covering the middle, in pickleball it's natural. You kind of do it.

So, no, when I got into a couple exchanges earlier in the tournament they were kind of in the service box in my head and I won them, I was, like, yeah, that was from me being able to dink and play well.

No, in general I think it helps with the reflexes, it gets a little faster. It's a total different game in a sense, they just have some crossover terms and stroke and...

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: You're going to be kicking everybody's ass when you go back out and play.

DONALD YOUNG: 100%. It's going to be fun. Yeah, definitely I've been playing that so much that some shots, in my mind, I didn't say them out loud, I was, like, yeah, that was from that.

Q. Once your tennis career is finished, what are your ambitions now in pickleball?

DONALD YOUNG: Everything I do I want to be the best I can possibly be at it. To be the best would be awesome. I want to start competing and making it into final weekends on a consistent basis. That's it.

Q. Donald, when you're here and thinking about your life over the next phases, could you see yourself in one of these coaching boxes? Is that like a goal of yours in any way?

DONALD YOUNG: You know, I like --

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Don't lie.

DONALD YOUNG: I like helping people. I don't know if I like the travel, because it's almost like you're a player again.

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: You're mean.

DONALD YOUNG: I do like giving some advice here or there. I haven't really thought about that because I've kind of pivoted into the pickle and that's kind of been a whole other career, and I'm doing that the next two or three years.

You know, I don't, you know, close the door or say it won't ever happen. We'll see in the future.

Q. Donald, you seem so composed on the court when you're speaking to the crowd. There was an emotional video. We've seen other players be really emotional at the end. Has it hit you since you've walked off the court that this is the end?

DONALD YOUNG: Yeah, I guess I've been thinking about it for a while. It's kind of been what it was. I asked Taylor, and, you know, she said yes. I kind of had already -- I've done my little crying at home thinking about it. I've gotten emotional.

But it was such an exciting moment, as well, maybe if we'd have got whooped up first round it would have been a little more emotional, but we made it to the final and we had a chance. It was a few points here or there. (Laughter.)

In that sense I was pretty happy and proud that we were able to go that far or do that well, and it kind of made me feel good about how I was able to go out.

It wasn't as emotional. Watching all my family and friends there, it was more exciting than anything.

Q. Did you guys get a sense of sort of how many people were interested in watching you guys in this tournament? Some years I think there isn't even a winner's press conference after mixed doubles. A lot of people say, oh, Donald Young is playing again, that's cool. Did you guys get a sense of that?

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah, because we're fire. It is what it is. We brought the people out. Like, it was a great crowd. I think it was one of the best crowds I've ever seen for a mixed doubles final, if I'm being honest.

I try and pay attention to that and look at the stands and the stadiums and see what the turnout is, and this was one of the best. There were a lot of people basically up until the suites, you know, and then there were some people even at the top.

You know, this is what it's about, at the end of the day, and I think that, you know, it's an amazing story. It was a fairytale ending. Obviously we didn't get the result we wanted, like we said, but at the end of the day it's nothing to hold our heads down about, nothing to be upset about. We're the last four standing, you know, and two of us get to hold a trophy.

For us, you know, I'm going to let Donald keep the trophy in his trophy cabinet, and we gonna keep it pushing. But, I mean, ultimately it was great to be able to have everybody. It was really special that Eric Butorac went out of his way to make sure that we had, like, plenty of tickets to be able to give people and to really make this a moment.

And so, you know, that was something very special, and I really credit, you know, the USTA and them for being able to open that up to us and allow people to come fly in and have this experience for one last time. It was super special.

Q. Congrats, guys. Donald, congrats on your career, as well. Taylor, you've probably been asked this before, but what was it like playing with Donald? Two lefties, as well. I don't know if you've ever played doubles with a lefty. Can you sum up how special it was playing with Donald for this one.

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah, it was amazing. You know, when he asked me to play, I told him it would be an honor for me to play, knowing it was the last tournament.

For me, I wouldn't change anything. It was fantastic. I mean, I played with Leylah all of last year, so I was used to being on the same side as a lefty. It worked to our advantage a lot of the time with the sun. I messed up a couple times, I was, like, Oh, shit, that was a forehand, I shouldn't have taken that. It was getting used to that type of thing, switching sides, playing different sides.

It's always amazing, and, you know, for me, Donald and I, we go so far back. I mean, in life in general. It's not the end. We both live in Atlanta, so I'm going to see him a ton and follow what he's doing in the next chapter.

But it's cool to be able to close the book this way. Again, being able to leave here with some hardware when a lot of people didn't, that's the most special thing.

So, I mean, it's fantastic. I'm glad to be able to do it by his side.

Q. Would you have gotten that last ball if you weren't old and retiring? Could you have jumped and hit that?

DONALD YOUNG: No, it kind of went over my head, but maybe the 22-year-old me might have got it, but you never know.

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Um-hmm. 28 me didn't get it. My ankles are sore. (Laughter.)