Emma Navarro's Comeback Isn't Just About Tennis

3 min readEmma Navarro is back and ready to compete.The 25-year-old tennis player had a slower start to 2026. She took a break from tennis this spring, withdrawing from the Miami Open as well as her hometown tournament, the Charleston Open.In a statement, Navarro cited “health struggles,” but said she was looking forward to returning to the court.It turns out a break was exactly what she needed. She went on to win the Internationaux de Strasbourg tournament at the end of May, upsetting Victoria Mboko in the final to win her third career WTA title.Now, with the U.S. Open in full swing (and already on to the second round), Navarro says she’s focused on listening to her body.“When you're growing up and you're learning toughness and resilience, I think that's a key piece to becoming the athlete that you want to be—pushing through uncomfortable feelings,” she tells Women's Health. “But I think what I'm learning now is you have to have a balance between pushing through, but also listening and being in tune with yourself enough to know when it's time to let your body rest a little.”Navarro has been serious about tennis for nearly her entire life. She was ranked the top U.S. recruit before committing to the University of Virginia, where she won the 2021 NCAA Singles Championship. She turned pro in 2022, had a standout 2023, then a breakout 2024—winning her first WTA title, reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinal, and making the U.S. Open semifinal.She achieved a career-high rank of No. 8 in the world and represented Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she advanced to the third round. It was, by any measure, a swift ascent. However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing.Robert Prange//Getty Images“My first year, I played almost 100 matches,” she says. “I thought going all in, running myself into the ground, training as much as I possibly could until I hit a wall was the answer.” She had to unlearn that mindset: “You have to know when to take a step back and rest a little.”Not only was her body tired, but her happiness also hinged on her performance on the court.“I think there was a period of time where I felt like my life got a little bit smaller than I would like it to be,” she says. “I was living and dying a little bit too much with tennis results, and I was not feeling great health-wise, and being less diligent with keeping up with the people I care about in my life, and my life kind of shrank.”She’s approaching this U.S. Open with more of an emphasis on connection rather than isolation. One of her goals is to consistently check in with loved ones.“You have to know when to take a step back and rest a little.”“I have a tendency to not be super active on my phone,” she says. “I like to live where my feet are and live in the present—which is definitely a good thing, most of the time—but it kind of bites me in the butt a little bit when it's been a week and I haven't called my family or called my friends.”Navarro says the fans cheering her on at an American Grand Slam serve as a reminder that she has support on and off the court. Working on partnerships with brands like FP Movement has helped her feel more like herself.“They’ve been supportive through the ups and downs,” she says.Even the clothes felt supportive, she says, helping her reset inside and out. “When I wasn’t feeling my best, I could put on a good matching set or some comfy sweatpants and feel a little more like myself.”Emma Navarro’s Feel-Good StyleEmma Navarro x FP Movement Comeback SetCredit: FP MovementEmma Navarro x FP Movement Midsummer Tennis DressCredit: FP MovementEmma Navarro x FP Movement Crossover 3-Piece SetCredit: FP MovementSo far, Navarro has started the U.S. Open strong, winning her first singles match. But she’s focused on the bigger picture.“This year has been a great reset where I realized I want a really full life,” she says. “I want to be a great tennis player, but I also want all the other parts of my life to be in order. I think my goal for now and for the future is just to not forget about that.”Alyssa Cruz is the social media editor at Women’s Health, where she drives social strategy and helps shape the brand’s voice across platforms. Prior to WH, she worked at CBS News and palabra. Originally from Toledo, she is a proud alumna of Ohio University, where she received two bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Spanish. When she is not creating social content, you can find her trying different restaurants in New York City or planning her next trip.