Ahead of the US Open, everyone is eyeing the form of their favorite athletes. Even tennis players are working very hard to show their brilliance in the season’s last Grand Slam. While the majority of the eyes are on defending champion Coco Gauff, Roger Federer’s former coach has a different name to pick! Revealing his reason to vouch for Emma Navarro in Toronto, he leaves a slight hope about why the American has a fair chance to secure her debut Grand Slam title this season. Will she make it?

Navarro reached the Canadian Open’s quarterfinals against Taylor Townsend. Yesterday, she defeated Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the Round of 16 7-5, 7-5. Navarro’s impressive performance has brought her compliments from one significant person in tennis, Federer’s former coach Paul Annacone. Mentioning that he is rooting for Navarro in Toronto, Annacone said, “I am going to keep riding along on the Emma Navarro train. Fun to watch her progress and how quickly she’s become comfortable at the top of the game.”

Federer’s former coach also brought up Navarro’s great composure in keeping her head clean under pressure. “It’s not easy to ascend and it’s even more difficult to stay there once you get up there. So for me to watch her play so well in big moments and to feel comfortable on the big stage, it’s been really a treat because her composure and her ability to deal with things,” Annacone said.

Now, Navarro has been performing quite well in the Canadian Open. She also vested a lot of hard work for the Paris Olympics but ultimately lost to China’s Zheng Qinwen by 6-7(7), 7-6(4), 6-1. Despite working so hard, Navarro couldn’t accept her loss at the Paris Olympics and worked harder for the Canadian Open. Now, it is showing in her on-court skills. However, Navarro’s improved playstyle caught the attention of two former tennis legends, Darren Cahill and Chris Evert, too only a month before her Canadian Open stunt!

Darren Cahill and Chris Evert praise Emma Navarro for ousting a tough opponent

Navarro became an instant celebrity when she took just an hour and 14 minutes to push Coco Gauff towards the exit at the Round of 16 on the British grass court. Her dominant playstyle against the reigning US Open champion brought her loads of compliments from veteran tennis personalities Darren Cahill and Chris Evert.

Impressed with Navarro’s “no holes” in the match performance, Chris Evert said, “Emma Navarro is a human backboard in this match.” On the other hand, Sinner’s coach, Darren Cahill, showed equal delight in Navarro’s win over Gauff. He has called Navarro his “new favorite female player to watch.” All of these compliments show the immense potential people have found in her.

Paul Annacone’s assuring statements about Emma Navarro represent that the American might go dull in Paris but there is still a chance for her in Toronto. Following her quarterfinals against Townsend today, people are waiting to see whether Navarro still possesses that hunger for victory, something she had in the City of Love a few days back.