Top Ranked Junior Tennis Player Told She Is Too Overweight

in sports, you usually want your best players on the field or court. But that was not the case at this year's u.S. Open. The governing body of american tennis, telling the top-ranked junior player to... See More

in sports, you usually want your best players on the field or court. But that was not the case at this year's u.S. Open. The governing body of american tennis, telling the top-ranked junior player to stay home because she was not in good enough shape to play. Tanya rivero is here. Good morning, tanya. Reporter: This 16-year-old prodigy is being compared to the williams sisters. Their father telling taylor townsend, she's better than they were at her age. So, she was crushed when her own coaches thought she should sit out one of the biggest tournaments of the year. This number one-ranked junior tennis player in the world said she was told she shouldn't compete in the u.S. Open. Why? The united states tennis association said she needed to slim down and get in better shape. I didn't get a definite answer on why they didn't want me to play. They just told me they felt i should work on my fitness more. Reporter: Taylor townsend and her mother, sheila, says the association refused to cover her expenses to the u.S. Open because they felt she needed to stay home and up her finance level. I do more conditioning, more so than a specific number for my weight. Reporter: So, she paid her own way to the tournament, where she made it to the quarterfinals in singles and won her juniors doubles match friday. Now, advancing to the finals. The reality is, there's a lot of different shapes and sizes in tennis. If you look at lindsay davenport. If you look at serena williams, those are two muscular, strong, terrific athletes, who achieve greatness. Reporter: But patrick McENROE, HEAD OF US TA'S PLAYER Development, tells abc the u.S. Open was never off limits to taylor. They suggested she take a pass after she struggled with her game this summer. No one tournament is bigger 2457b a player's career, especially when the player is 16. Taylor continues to be one of our best prospects. And our goal is her long-term development. The association is saying it will reimburse townsend for u.S. Open expenses. And taylor is eager to put the incident behind her. I think it will pass because, you know, I think we all have a common goal here. I want to do well. The bottom line is, taylor wants to play tennis. And to become the best player that she can be. Reporter: And tennis fans certainly aren't watching her weight, but rather, her rise to the top of the game. And tailer will be playing for the junior doubles championship this afternoon. We'll all be rooting for her, as will the u.S. Tennis association, who tells us, they're proud of her accomplishments at the u.S. Open, and overnight, apologized for the miscommunication. So unfortunate. I hope it doesn't discourage her. Thank you.