91Èȱ¬

In the US and Canada February marks Black History Month - One player who won’t be playing at the Australian Open is USA tennis player Taylor Townsend. She’s seven months pregnant and announced the news last year on her social media account with a video saying:

"My entire life, my entire career, I've heard 'You can't, you won't' and I've used it as a reason to fight hard and motivation to keep playing.

Townsend has been forced to endure racial stereotyping and body-shaming since the start of her young tennis career. Back in 2015 the USA Tennis Association denied her a wildcard in to the Junior US Open saying she had insufficient fitness. They since blamed miscommunication for the statement.

Townsend has been speaking to 91Èȱ¬ World Service’s Katie Smith about pregnancy, raising her child and how racism has impacted on her life:

Taylor Townsend of the United States celebrates her victory against Sorana Cirstea of Romania in the Women's Singles Round three match on Louis Armstrong Stadium Stadium during the 2019 US Open Tennis Tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 31st, 2019 in Flushing, Queens, New York City. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

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