Taylor Townsend had a moment at the 2023 US Open, shouting during a point, which caused a hindrance call by the umpire.
Talking during points is not permitted, with the rules describing it as a hindrance. Of course, it's not the only type of hindrance. But there are also different instances that can stop a point, called 'let', when a point is replayed, such as a bird landing in the middle of the court or a squirrel running across the court is another type.
We've seen a fair share of these calls over the years, but this one might have been the oddest one. During a mixed doubles match between Ben Shelton and Taylor Townsend, and Joe Salisbury and Luisa Stefani, Townsend yelled out in the middle of a point, probably expecting a hindrance call, but doing it for the entertainment of the fans.
It's really tough to decipher why it happened, with some arguing that it was purely for entertainment, but even if it was for entertainment purposes, it was still quite disrespectful. Salisbury was about to hit an overhead and win the point when the American yelled 'hit me', automatically granting the other team a point because of the hindrance.
The crowd found it amusing, and Salisbury is believed to be on good terms with Townsend, so there was likely no blowback from his side, but it was quite a strange situation, which you don't see often in the sport. Obviously, it's against the rules, but it happened.
The score at that time was 6-4 for the Americans and 1-1 in the second set. Shelton and Townsend went on to win the match and secure another one, which was a victory again. Supported by the New York crowd, they are hoping to go all the way in the mixed doubles competition, with Townsend doing well also in the women's doubles.
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