The US already boasts a promising roster of young tennis stars but there is a new name on the scene.
Emma Navarro is quickly establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with on the senior tour, with the 23-year-old reaching the quarterfinals at this year’s Wimbledon.
As if to underline her credentials, Navarro beat reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff in straight sets – 6-4 6-3 – in the fourth round on Sunday to continue her best run at a grand slam.
“I don’t have a ton of words but just really grateful to be out here on Center Court at a tournament with so much history and tradition, that so many legends have played on before me,” Navarro said during her post-match interview after beating Gauff.
“It’s a real honor. I can’t wait to play again.”
Navarro’s form at this year’s Wimbledon follows what has already been an impressive season for the youngster.
The American reached the third round of the Australian Open earlier this year, before progressing to the fourth round at the French Open.
According to the WTA, she has won 33 tour-level matches in 2024, more than twice as many as she won last year, while $1,074,546 of her $1,847,241 in career prize money has been won in 2024 alone.
She claimed her first WTA title at the Hobart International in January and has risen from 149th in the world at the start of last season to her current position as world No. 17,
“I think that mindset has definitely helped me just not to look at a day like today as any different than any other match,” she said, per WTA, explaining her rise after reaching the quarterfinals.
“I think just being able to look at individual matches for what they are and not make them anything greater than that.”
While her rise through the ranks has been rapid, it perhaps shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Navarro enjoyed a successful college career at Virginia, becoming the 2021 NCAA champion in her freshman year – a result which then qualified her for the US Open main draw, where she lost in the first round.
She decided to turn her full attention to professional tennis in 2022, finishing her college career with a record of 51-3 in singles matches.
Billionaire heiress
Just like compatriot Jessica Pegula, Navarro is the daughter of a billionaire.
Her father Ben Navarro is founder and CEO of Sherman Financial Group and is valued by Forbes as being worth $1.5 billion.
He has also invested heavily in tennis. In 2022, he paid nearly $300 million to buy the Cincinnati Open – a warmup event for the US Open every year.
In an interview with the Tennis Channel earlier this season, Navarro credited her calm demeanour and mindset to her dad.
“He’s probably the smartest guy I know and he’s dropped a lot of knowledge and wisdom on my siblings and I over the years,” she said.
“He’s taught me a bunch about the perspective I want to take into things, especially on-court stuff.”
Despite being set to inherit a fortune, Navarro looks determined to make her own name and has a chance to do exactly that at this year’s Wimbledon.
She will next face Italian Jasmine Paolini on Tuesday for a place in the semifinals. – CNN
By Ben Church