Emma Navarro is one of tennis’s rising stars and is currently in the Top 10 of the WTA rankings. The American’s journey from a three-year-old picking up tennis balls to becoming a Grand Slam semifinalist didn’t happen by accident. Behind the 24-year-old’s success, stands her billionaire father Ben Navarro, whose own work ethic and business empire shaped her path to tennis stardom.
Ben Navarro owns two major tennis tournaments, namely, the Charleston Open and the Cincinnati Open.
How Father’s Work Ethic Shaped Emma Navarro’s Tennis Career
Navarro’s tennis story began when she was just three years old. She recalls her earliest memories on the court in an interview with Tatler.
“I started when I was three years old, old enough to hold a racket. Growing up, tennis was just a huge part of our lives. When I was too young to hold a racket, I’d be out on the court, picking up balls for my brothers. Then when I was old enough to play, my dad would toss me balls. I’d be right up close to the net, just big enough to hit the ball over,” Navarro said.
The family approach to tennis was intensely competitive from the start. Navarro and her father would team up to play doubles against her brothers, and she remembers these matches being “super competitive” right from the beginning. Ben Navarro’s work ethic became the foundation of the 24-year old’s mindset.
“He never did anything with less than 100 percent effort,” Emma Navarro explained. “That invincibility was cool to see and I learned it was something you could create.”
Navarro has consistently credited her father for recognizing her potential early on. After reaching the US Open semifinals in 2024, she thanked him, saying:
“I want to say ‘thanks’ to my dad because he saw a vision from when I was really young.”
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Emma Navarro Booked Her Place in Wimbledon 2025 3R
Emma Navarro has had an impressive start to Wimbledon 2025, reaching the third round while dropping just seven games in the process. The 24-year-old faced two-time champion Petra Kvitová in the first round and registered a comprehensive 6-3, 6-1 win.
Navarro then faced Veronika Kudermetova and thrashed the Russian 6-1, 6-2 to book her place in the third round of the grass-court Major. Here, the American will take on either defending champion Barbora Krejčiková or compatriot Caroline Dolehide.
Navarro hasn’t faced Krejčiková before and lost 2-6, 6-3, 2-6 in her only encounter against Dolehide, which came in an ITF event in Boca Raton three years back.
