Lulu Sun and Emma Navarro have made the tennis community in the United States very proud with their performances at the Wimbledon 2024. Both the players reached the women’s singles quarterfinals, exceeding the expectations of many. While Navarro is already a known name, Sun’s rise has been a heartwarming success story.
Interestingly, both of them are former NCAA tennis champions and will surely earn a minimum of 375,000 GBP ($481,000 USD) regardless of their results in the quarterfinals. For Navarro, this tournament is a great opportunity to go beyond her billionaire father Ben’s inheritance and make something substantial on her own from her tennis career.
Besides her father’s yet-to-receive inherited wealth, Navarro touched the million-dollar mark in her net worth in January 2024. Her total prize money winnings to date have been $1,847,241.
A very good performance which is noticed at Wimbledon, attracts sponsors in the United States. Ask Maria Sharapova, who won the Wimbledon 2004 Championships out of nowhere and within a month, signed a deal with Motorola. The brand saw her as an upcoming superstar who could connect with fans even if she couldn’t connect on phone with her mother after her Wimbledon win, since she was flying to New York in an airplane.
So Navarro can rake in millions and add to her sponsors list which includes Credit One Bank, Fila and Yonex. It would be a delight for fans if Navarro and Sun take each other on, in a battle for American supremacy. It would also show the strength of women’s tennis in the country and prove that the sport is still an attractive proposition there.
When it comes to Lulu Sun, she is ranked 123rd in the world at present and won a total prize money of just $313,832 so far. So for her, Wimbledon will be the first tournament which would award her a prize money amount bigger than what she has earned throughout her career so far.
It was a watershed moment for Lulu Sun when she defeated British favorite Emma Raducanu, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 and knocked her out in the Round of 16. Sun could also expect more sponsors lining up for her, which would give her a huge boost apart from Lacoste and Neilson Beachclubs contributing to her tennis attire and gear.
Navarro and Sun have still lots to play for
If Navarro and Sun make it to the semifinals, they stand to earn $915,000 (715,000 GBP). That itself would be a huge motivation for both of them, even though they have tough opposition in the quarterfinals.
Sun will have to defeat Croatia’s Donna Vekic, while Navarro will take on French Open 2024 finalist Jasmine Paolini on Tuesday. Remarkably, Navarro is the only native American player left in the women’s singles draw because Sun has only trained in the United States to become a tennis player, under the guidance of Serena Williams’ former coach, Rick Macci. Actually, Sun is truly a global citizen because of being born in New Zealand and being half-Chinese and half-Croatian.
Nevertheless, their performances can also go a long way in inspiring the upcoming generation of American youngsters to pick up a tennis racquet and take it up as a career no matter the finances available for them. It is because the NCAA college tennis system and the availability of quality coaches, has been vindicated again.
