Charleston Open: Fans Divided Over Emma Navarro’s Bold Tennis Move During Clay-Court Swing

Performance in Sunshine Doubles, helped Emma Navarro to climb the ranking ladder in the 2024 season. However, fans did not expect to see her name on the list for a WTA 125K event since she currently sits at rank 20. The fact becomes even more surprising as her name popped up on the list of a tournament that will take place in the second week of the Madrid Open.

Although she is smashing the competition now, she is facing a period of self-doubt, as she opened up in an interview. Navarro has not found it easy to rise to a level where she can play around with her schedule but has found her way here. 

Fans give mixed reactions to finding Emma Navarro’s name on the list for the Lleida Open

Events below WTA 250 tournaments usually see players who are down on their luck or are young guns looking to move up the rankings. Emma Navarro is currently neither. Hence, a fan was surprised when they saw her name as the top seed for the Catalonia Open WTA 125. They said, “Why is Emma Navarro on the list of Lleida 125, in the 2nd week of Madrid. Someone needs to ban her from this vulturing.” The comment came with a hostile connotation, but not all fans agreed with the poster. One user said that she wants to reach the top 10 through a scam as she plays in a series of WTA 125 and ITF tournaments.

A fan said that they understood the importance of lower-level tournaments and winning matches there to carry on the momentum to bigger tournaments. However, they also said that she should not be playing 125 events anymore, which should not allow players ranked above 50 to enter.

Although the common theme was serious, one fan couldn’t help but find it hilarious.

One user said that it was actually a good move from her as the scheduling was strategic. They also said her confidence will grow and she can play at bigger events now. As per them, more players ranked 40-60 should do it and try to enter tournaments as seeds, which can help them tremendously.

One fan pointed out how she’s doing the opposite of Emma Raducanu, who is only playing in big tournaments.

Although Navarro is at a point where she can have a varied schedule, she is still plagued by doubts about her game. She opened up about her mindset in a recent interview. 

“The biggest general challenge”: Navarro on doubts about her game

Navarro has shown stark improvements as a player in the last few months, but she still has doubts. She recently discussed her problems in an interview with Christopher Clarey. “The biggest general challenge is just feeling like I am not good enough, and I don’t belong at this level.” For her, the main challenge comes with the expectation that if she beats a great player, she should be able to defeat another player, too.

“Just getting past that fear of expectations, I think has been a big challenge for me. I’m not even really worried about the rest of the world’s expectations. It’s more internal.”

Navarro’s career has just taken off, and the American is doing everything in her power to ensure she can keep it going higher. Her scheduling shows that she is still developing a mindfulness of how she can keep her momentum going.

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