Former world number one splits with her coach despite winning a Grand Slam in 2025

With the 2026 season just a few short weeks away, the best players in the world are making changes…

When things aren’t going well, coaches are usually the first to go.

We saw that earlier this year with former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev, who split with his long-time coach Gilles Cervara after a string of poor results.

It is, however, more shocking to see a player make a coaching change while at the top of their game.

One player, who won a Grand Slam in 2025 and is currently ranked number two in the world, has done just that.

Taylor Townsend splits with John Williams

WTA doubles number two, Taylor Townsend, has just split with her coach, John Williams, as first reported by ‘Black Spin Global‘.

The American won her second Grand Slam doubles title earlier this year and became world number one for the first time.

She has since fallen to number two, behind her partner Katerina Siniakova, but remains one of the best doubles players on the planet.

More Tennis News

Final	Discipline	Result	Partner	Opponents	Score
2022 US Open	Doubles	LOSS	Caty McNally	Barbora Krejcikova/Katernia Siniakova	6-3, 5-7, 1-6
2023 French Open	Doubles	LOSS	Leylah Fernandez	Hsieh Su-wei/Wang Xinyu	6-1, 6-7, 1-6
2024 Wimbledon	Doubles	WIN	Katerina Siniakova	Gabriela Dabrowski/Erin Routliffe	7-6, 7-6
2024 US Open	Mixed doubles	LOSS	Donald Young	Sara Errani/Andrea Vavassori	6-7, 5-7
2025 Australian Open	Doubles	WIN	Katerina Siniakova	Hsieh Su-wei/Jelena Ostapenko	6-2, 6-7, 6-3
2025 French Open	Mixed doubles	LOSS	Evan King	Sara Errani/Andrea Vavassori	4-6, 2-6
2025 US Open	Doubles	LOSS	Katerina Siniakova	Gabriela Dabrowski/Erin Routliffe	4-6, 4-6

Taylor Townsend’s record in Grand Slam finals

2025 WTA year-end doubles rankings

Not only did Townsend enjoy doubles success in 2025, but she also made a real step forward in singles.

Her breakthrough came at the US Open, where she reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in six years.

After Townsend beat Jelena Ostapenko in a controversial second-round match, she took down the number-five seed Mirra Andreeva on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

She failed in her bid to reach the quarterfinals, though, losing to former Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova in a thriller.

Despite achieving all of that success with Williams in her corner, the pair decided to part ways ahead of the 2026 season.

But what have Townsend and Williams said about each other recently, and did they suggest this may happen?

Becoming world number one in July, Townsend posted the following message on Instagram, mentioning her coach, Williams.

“Taylor Townsend #1 in the world,” she said.

“First mom to ever be a world #1.

“This is a literal dream come true. Thank you, Adyn, for giving me a new purpose.

“Thank you, John Williams, for all that we have done to make my dreams a reality.

“Love you guys.”

Sharing his reaction to Townsend’s ascension to world number one, Williams posted the following message on Instagram.

“A fire doesn’t wait for permission to burn, on to the next,” he said.

It’s unclear why they decided to split just 19 weeks after posting those messages.

Perhaps Williams or Townsend will update fans on the reasons for their separation over the coming days…