Taylor Townsend returns to social media with flair

Ranked No. 98 coming into Roland Garros this year, Taylor Townsend was ready for a fight. She got that straightaway, squaring off against No. 19 seed and former French Open champion Garbine Muguruza in the first round. Ultimately, Townsend fell by a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 score. (She also met defeat early in doubles.)

Still, she was also ready for more than a modicum of fun. Terming it her own year-and-a-half departure from social media, the 23-year-old American returned with her upbeat writing voice firmly intact.

As with peers such as as Rebecca Marino and many others, Townsend has received ridicule over time about her match results, physical form, and the like. Paired with the pressures of tour life itself, it can make for a dispiriting experience.

She was greeted by tour mates including Sloane Stephens, Shelby Rogers, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, and more. Even a retired ATP pal chimed in with the chorus heralding Townsend's online return:

Keys herself, recently the catalyst for the Kinder World Day through her Fearlessly Girl organization, relished in Townsend's seeming triumph over Hater Nation.

In truth, Townsend hasn't been on a sabbatical, sometimes offering social media posts, on Twitter and other platforms, over recent weeks and months. Still, the snappy rejoinder she delivered to those who sow negativity was ready-made for the social age we live in and ...

She also acquired a bit of inspiration from one of the sport's all-time greats. Now that's something she can run with the rest of this season.

Follow Jon on Twitter: @jonscott9.

Catch up on Week 1 at Roland Garros on the TENNIS.com Podcast: