"Felt I was going to play good" - Emma Navarro on waking up confident to down Naomi Osaka at Wimbledon

Emma Navarro claimed that she had woken up confident on the day of her second-round match at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, fully believing she would defeat Naomi Osaka. Her victory over Osaka and subsequent advancement to the third round at the grasscourt Major marked her best result at the Grand Slam.

Navarro entered Wimbledon on the back of an impressive semifinal run at the 2024 Bad Homburg Open. She is seeded 19th at SW19 and kicked off her campaign by defeating Qiang Wang 6-0, 6-2 in the first round.

In the second-round match, Navarro faced former World No.1 Naomi Osaka and defeated her 6-4, 6-1 on the Centre Court in just under an hour to secure her spot in the third round.

During her post-match interview with the Tennis Channel, Emma Navarro shared that when she was younger, she felt apprehensive about making long-term plans as she was skeptical about the future.

However, the World No.19 revealed that on the day of her second-round match against Naomi Osaka, she woke up with a strong belief that she could defeat the four-time Grand Slam champion.

Navarro confessed that she was unsure of how she would overcome Osaka during the match but was happy that she secured the win.

"I always say, can't see the future. And when I was younger and we'd have to draw out five, 10 year plans in school or whatever, it would always really stress me out. I didn't feel like I could do it. But since the time I woke up this morning I kind of felt like I was going to play some good tennis. I wasn't sure how it was going to go but had a feeling it was going to go well. Happy that it turned out," Emma Navarro said [1:04]

Emma Navarro on beating Naomi Osaka - "Years of preparation made me feel I'm able to take that challenge on"

Emma Navarro

Following her win over Naomi Osaka, Emma Navarro stated that playing and winning on the Centre Court was a special feeling. She also said that she tried to savor every moment of playing on the prestigious court

"Definitely a special experience playing out on Centre Court. I really tried to enjoy it and take it all in and really appreciate the opportunity, also while playing good tennis. I think I was able to do that," Emma Navarro said in the same interview.

Navarro revealed that she had a specific game plan against Osaka but attributed her win to years of experience that enabled her to feel at ease against the former World No.1 and eventually win the match.

"There was some specific preparation today, in terms of just game plan and how I wanted to take it on mentally. But also I think it's been years of preparation that made me able to feel comfortable and feel like physically and mentally I'm able to take that challenge on," she added.

Looking ahead, Emma Navarro will face Diana Shnaider in the third round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. The match will be their third encounter on the WTA Tour, with Shnaider winning in their previous two meetings