Players who can find a way to reach the top, sidelining the burden of expectations that are put on them, are called champions. Does “Ice Girl” on the outside Emma Navarro have this “Ferocious Competitor” mindset inside her to be the champion? Does she have a “champion mindset?” Here’s what her father once said about his daughter’s extremely “competitive” mentality.

Emma Navarro has stunned the tennis world with her dominating performance against the world number 2, Coco Gauff in the R16 of Wimbledon. In 1 hour and 14 minutes, she sealed the deal at 6-4,6-3 making her way to her first major QF. The former student-athlete from the University of Virginia effectively utilized her opponent’s extreme emotions to boost her own confidence in her previous match. Referring to Gauff’s animated argument with her team, she said, “It’s definitely a little bit of a confidence boost just knowing that your game plan is doing what you wanted it to do.”

Players often have completely different mindsets. Lindsay Davenport recently appeared on the Tennis Channel Live Podcast, talking about how, despite being a relatively inexperienced campaigner at majors, Navarro looks like a “great competitor.”

Davenport further revealed, “Her dad told me earlier in the year, he said ‘People have always mistaken Emma’s lack of emotion for not caring. And it’s quite the opposite! She cares deeply, she has never stopped trying in any matches in the juniors, in the collegiate ranks.“

The 48-year-old American tennis legend said Emma Navarro’s father, Ben Navarro, told her that his daughter, “just doesn’t like to emote.” Many people think differently about her, while in reality, she’s an extremely “ferocious competitor.” Well, Navarro is ready to face Paolini as“another dual match.” While for fans, it is going to be Navarro playing the Grand Slam’s QF, for Navarro, it will be “my tennis versus hers.” This strong mindset of Emma Navarro is something that she got from her father.

“I gotta give a lot of credit to my dad” – Emma Navarro spills the beans about her ‘competitive mindset’

Whether she’s winning or losing, the 23-year-old American tennis star believes she is exactly where she needs to be. Earlier this year, during an interview with Tennis Channel she hailed her father as probably “the smartest guy” she has ever known. Reflecting on her father’s contribution to her perspective, she said, “He’s dropped a lot of knowledge and wisdom on my siblings and I over the years.“

She added, “He’s taught me a bunch about the perspective I want to take into things, especially on-court stuff.” Emma Navarro credits her father with teaching her about different perspectives on life and how to apply them, especially when she’s on the court. She also spoke about her coach’s contribution, saying, “My coach as well, just teaches me a lot about mindset and, yeah, like I said, the perspective I want to have so, yeah, two really smart guys that teach me a lot.” Can this calm yet competitive demeanor see her through to remarkable glories in her career?