Emma Navarro: After defeating Coco Gauff at Wimbledon, the US has a new tennis star

CNN
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The United States already has a promising list of young tennis stars But there is a new name on the scene.

Emma Navarro Serena Williams has quickly established herself as a force to be reckoned with on the Grand Slam tour, with the 23-year-old reaching the quarter-finals at Wimbledon this year.

As if to underline her credentials, Navarro beat defending US Open champion Coco Gauff in straight sets – 6-4, 6-3 – in the fourth round on Sunday to continue her best Grand Slam run.

“I don’t have many words but I am really grateful to be here on centre court in a tournament with so much history and tradition, where so many legends have played before me,” Navarro He said During her post-match interview after her win over Goff.

“It’s a real honour. I can’t wait to play again.”

Navarro’s performance at Wimbledon this year comes on the heels of an already impressive season for the young player.

The American reached the third round at the Australian Open earlier this year, before advancing to the fourth round at the French Open.

According to the Women’s Tennis AssociationShe has won 33 tour-level matches in 2024, more than double what she won last year, while winning $1,074,546 of her total prize money of $1,847,241 in 2024 alone.

She won 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 of 17th in the world.

“I think that mindset definitely helped me not look at a day like today as any different than any other match,” she said. Women’s Tennis Associationexplaining her rise after reaching the quarter-finals.

“I think it’s worth looking at individual matches for what they are and not seeing them as something greater than that.”

Although her rise through the ranks was rapid, it may not come as a surprise.

Navarro enjoyed a successful college career at Virginia, where she became the 2021 NCAA champion in her freshman year — a result that then qualified her for the main draw of the US Open, 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 51-3 singles record.

Just like his compatriot Jessica PegulaNavarro is the daughter of a billionaire.

Her father, Ben Navarro, is the founder and CEO of Sherman Financial Group, and Forbes estimates his net worth at $1.5 billion.

He has also invested heavily in tennis. In 2022, he paid nearly $300 million to buy the Cincinnati Open — a warm-up tournament for the US Open each year.

In an interview with Tennis Channel earlier this season, Navarro attributed her calm demeanor and mentality to her father.

“He is probably the smartest man I know and has passed on so much knowledge and wisdom to me and my siblings over the years,” she said. He said.

“He taught me a lot about the perspective I want to take into account things, especially things that happen on the pitch.”

Although she is set to inherit a huge fortune, Navarro is determined to make her own name and has the chance to do just that at Wimbledon this year.

In the next round, she will face Italian Jasmine Paolini, on Tuesday, in order to book a place in the semi-finals.