More Sports ES Fancast Apr 4, 2024 | 7:51 AM EDT via Reuters Tennis – WTA 1000 – Dubai Tennis Championships – Dubai Duty Free Tennis Centre,
Dubai, United Arab Emirates – February 20, 2024 Emma Navarro of the U.S. during
her round of 32 match against Greece’s Maria Sakkari REUTERS/Amr Alfiky via Reuters Tennis – WTA 1000 – Dubai Tennis Championships – Dubai Duty Free Tennis Centre,
Dubai, United Arab Emirates – February 20, 2024 Emma Navarro of the U.S. during
her round of 32 match against Greece’s Maria Sakkari REUTERS/Amr Alfiky Emma Navarro is not only in the limelight because she’s currently playing in her hometown at a tournament owned by her father. Rather, her extraordinary performance a couple of weeks ago defeating the world no.2 Aryna Sabalenka at the R16 of the Indian Wells has now made her a household name. For a 22-year-old player unused to this level of spotlight, the media attention is slightly overwhelming. Navarro was playing at the 125-level and ITF events last year. But earlier this year she managed to make a breakthrough at the bigger stages of the game. Since then, she has never looked back and has recently crept up to the 20th spot in women’s singles ranking. But Charleston’s Emma Navarro says she doesn’t feel too comfortable with all the limelight on her. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad Emma Navarro sat down for an interview with the Tennis Channel after her emphatic victory over her compatriot Katie Volynets, where she discussed her newfound spotlight after a sudden rise in rankings. She said, “Yeah definitely some more media than I was doing, for instance, last year at this tournament. And it’s not my comfortable position, you know, being in the spotlight.” “He is probably the smartest guy I know.” Emma Navarro credits her dad Ben for her strong mindset on and off the court 💪 pic.twitter.com/axcbddFAKY — Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) April 4, 2024 Expand Tweet But Navarro believes this is something she has signed up for and it’s for which she had worked so hard over the years. Just to be in the position she’s currently enjoying. So, she said, “I try to embrace it and lean into it as much as possible. And yeah, I’m enjoying it.” ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad Emma Navarro is one of the top seeds in the 2024 Credit One Charleston Open and she’s in fact the 10th best player in the field. She was just a junior in high school when she played for the first time at the Center Court at the Credit One Stadium in 2019. What did she say about the love she got from her home crowd after the match? Her recent victory over Volynets marked her third victory in 5 appearances at Charleston. After her emphatic victory in the first round Emma Navarro said, “I felt totally overwhelmed that night, kind of like an out-of-body experience. I’d never played in a stadium like that, and I felt like the entire world was watching me.” ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad She went on to add, “I felt much more comfortable like this is my home crowd and I’m here playing the sport I love.” Emma Navarro is one of the most talented players to have ever come out of Charleston. How far do you think she can go into her home tournament this year? Share your thoughts in the comment box. READ MORE: Charleston Open: Fans Divided Over Emma Navarro’s Bold Tennis Move During Clay-Court Swing EssentiallySports is a digital-first sports media house that surfaces the best stories on America’s favorite sports celebrities with a fan’s perspective to 30+ M average monthly readers. Sports All Boxing Formula One Golf NASCAR NBA NFL ONE Championship Tennis UFC WWE Bodybuilding WNBA EssentiallySports About Us Advertise With Us Authors Editorial Team Behind The Scenes Humans of EssentiallySports Contact Us FAQs Our Brands FanCast On The Ropes Bodybuilding Bros Club Golf Lucky Dog on Track Sports All Boxing Formula One Golf NASCAR NBA NFL ONE Championship Tennis UFC WWE Bodybuilding WNBA Privacy Policy ES Pressroom Ethics Policy Fact-Checking Policy Corrections Policy Cookies Policy GDPR Compliance Terms of Use Editorial Guidelines Ownership and funding Information Full Spectrum Services LLP © 2024 | All Rights Reserved