Emma Navarro became a household name in the United States this year after she beat World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka in the Round of 16 match at the Indian Wells 2024. Her golden journey this year started with the Hobart International title victory, her first WTA title. While she hasn’t won any more titles since, she has defeated some of the biggest names in tennis such as Elise Mertens, Wang Xiyu, Elina Svitolina, etc. Her life journey has been equally fascinating.
As the tennis world witnesses the rise of Emma Navarro, potentially being the future of American tennis besides Coco Gauff, here are 6 pivotal moments from her life that shaped her into this tough, strong, potentially threatening future superstar.
Emma Navarro started playing tennis at a very young age
At the tender age of 3, Emma Navarro picked up a tennis racquet. It was her father who spearheaded the passion for tennis in his daughter, just like Richard Williams did for his daughters Serena and Venus Williams. Since both of Navarro’s older brothers already played tennis, also courtesy of her dad, Ben Navarro, the sport became a family affair for her. She very quickly took a liking to it.
“My dad got my siblings and I into tennis. I was around three years old when I started playing. Both of my older brothers played and it was kind of a family thing that we liked to do together,” said Emma Navarro, as per her interview with the International Tennis Federation.
By age 15, Emma Navarro was playing ITF Pro tournaments
Starting from age 3, Emma Navarro didn’t take long to show signs of a prodigy in tennis. Before high school, at age 15, Navarro played her first ITF Pro event. Despite being so skilled, Navarro was still a kid and was extremely nervous about playing in the league.
Navarro said, “Before I was old enough to hold a racket I would run around and pick up balls for my brothers. I think I was around 15 when I played my first ITF pro level event – it was like a 10k or a 15k. I remember feeling way out of my league, but I really enjoyed it and I went from there.”
The one great thing that came out of that tournament is that, besides her fear, Navarro also ended up enjoying playing that tournament. This solidified her wish to play professional tennis and make a career out of it.
Emma Navarro won the 2019 French Open juniors doubles title
At the 2019 French Open juniors, Emma Navarro, still only 19 years of age, finished runners-up. She lost to Leylah Fernandez 3-6, 2-6 in the girls’ singles final but gained a lot of experience and perspective from it.
Later, Navarro won the 2019 French Open juniors doubles title alongside Chloe Beck. They thrashed Alina Charaeva and Anastasia Tikhonova 6-1, 6-2 in the final.
2021 became a big year in Emma Navarro’s professional life
After her 2019 French Open juniors singles runners-up and doubles winning performances, Emma Navarro entered her first WTA tournament – The Charleston Open. Things started happening for Navarro, as in 2020, she enrolled in the University of Virginia as the best tennis recruit in America. In 2021, she won her first NCAA championships singles title. She beat Spanish player Estela Perez Somarriba, who was playing for Miami Hurricanes, 6-3, 6-1 in the finals. As a result, she earned a wildcard entry into the 2021 US Open.
Winning the 2024 Hobart International changed Emma Navarro’s life
Emma Navarro had only won NCAA Championships, university-level trophies and a junior French Open doubles title in her career. As important as they were, none of them were a WTA title. In 2024, it all changed when she won her first WTA title – The Hobart International. With 32 players in the competition, Navarro reached the finals as the second-seeded player. She played against top-seeded player Elise Mertens. Navarro won the match 6-1, 4-6, 7-5.
How beating Aryna Sabalenka put Emma Navarro on the map
She may have been winning matches and showing promising signs by winning the Hobart International. However, it wasn’t until she defeated World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka in the Round of 16 match at the Indian Wells 2024 tournament, that she got the deserved popularity. It remains the biggest win of her career, and Emma Navarro cherished every moment of it. She won the match 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.
Before winning against Sabalenka, Navarro also reached the semi-finals of the San Diego Open this year. This was the closest she came to winning another WTA title since the Hobart International. She beat Daria Saville 6-4, 6-2 in the quarter-final, but lost to Katie Boulter 3-6, 1-6 in the semi-final. Boulter went on to win the tournament, beating Marta Kostyuk 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 in the final.
