Charleston’s Emma Navarro recorded the best season of her young and promising professional tennis career in 2024. All of which included achieving her greatest success in a major to date, reaching the US Open semifinals before losing a hard-fought match to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka, 3-6, 6-7 (2).
On Dec. 9, the WTA Tour presented the 23-year-old with its Most Improved Player award for 2024. Navarro finished 2023 ranked No. 38, then surged to No. 8 in the world by the end of 2024, earning her career-high ranking. She finished the season with a singles record of 54-24 and notched three wins against the world’s Top-5 players.
“It’s a huge honor and I think it’s a testament to a lot of hard work this year,” said Navarro, who was born in New York City, but has lived in Charleston since age 3 outside of her years attending the University of Virginia. “It’s nice to kind of get that validation that a lot of hard work is paying off and doesn’t go unnoticed. It’s cool also because my main motivation on this journey is just to see how much I can improve myself and how good of a player I can be.”
It was a season full of accomplishments for Navarro, who began the year strong winning her first career WTA singles title in January at the 250 Hobart International. Navarro made improvement in each major as the season progressed, reaching the third round of the Australian Open, the French Open’s Round of 16, the Wimbledon quarterfinals and culminating with her first ever semifinal appearance in a Grand Slam at the US Open.
En route to the semis, Navarro beat the reigning 2023 US Open champion and world No. 3 Coco Gauff in the Round of 16 (whom she also beat in Wimbledon’s Round of 16) and a surging Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals.
“It was pretty surreal,” reflected Navarro of the impressive semifinal run. “The energy on Arthur Ashe Stadium was unmatched. As I look back at my career thus far, that’s definitely some of the best memories I’ve made, and the most exciting run I’ve had.”
She added that it was extra special to have friends and family there to support her. “To do it in the city I was born in was pretty cool as well. Charleston will always be home — but I spent a little bit of time in New York.”
Navarro has soared to new heights over the past year, but she doesn’t attribute her success to just one thing. She has improved in multiple areas including her aggressiveness, confidence and her movement. Navarro has also sharpened the mental side of her game and learned to assert herself better in matches.
“I feel like I just have more confidence in myself in who I am as a player. When I step on the court, it doesn’t matter who I’m playing, I believe that I can win,” stated Navarro. “And that’s definitely not something that I’ve always had.”
It doesn’t hurt that she has been with her same coach, Peter Ayers, since she was 14. “I think he knows my game better than I do,” she said. This consistency and stability has helped her in handling this year and in trying to figure out who she is as a player.
“To have somebody who has seen this bigger picture of me since I was 14 be guiding me on that path is incredibly useful and it’s helped me a ton.”
Another surreal moment occurred last summer when Navarro competed for the U.S. in the Paris Olympics. “It’s something that I never even dreamed about — to now be able to say that I’m an Olympian is incredible,” mused Navarro. “The tennis side of it was pretty special too, being able to play with an American flag on my top and knowing that I was representing the U.S. It’s an experience I’ll never forget for sure.”
Although as a professional athlete she sets high expectations for herself, Navarro acknowledged that she exceeded her expectations both results-wise and in terms of her level of play in 2024. “I’m kind of pinching myself throughout the year,” she recounted. “Like, am I really in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon? Am I really in the semis of the US Open? Still looking back I have to remind myself that I did make those runs.”
Navarro’s main goals for 2025 are more process-oriented than results-based. She’s working hard on improving her serve and strengthening her net play, so she feels more comfortable moving forward and taking balls out of the air. With respect to tournaments, Navarro hopes to win a WTA 500 competition and top her best Grand Slam finish by reaching a final.
“I feel like I’m coming into my own as a player and playing at a higher level than I could have dreamed of a few years ago, so it’s definitely exciting.”
Charleston residents can cheer on Navarro to win a 500-level tournament at the Credit One Charleston Open March 29-April 6.
By Colin McCandless
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