“I don’t know. I don’t have a ton of words. Just really grateful to be here on Centre Court..” A jubilant Emma Navarro said after besting fan-favorite and compatriot Coco Gauff at the Wimbledon last year. In the fourth round encounter, the World No.9 defeated the two-time slam champion with a score line of 6-4, 6-3. It was her best grass performance at the All England Club, while making her maiden appearance in the last eight of any slam. Seems like her prowess on grass is only going to get better with successive appearances. At least that’s what a notable WTA icon believes after witnessing Navarro’s dominating victory this week in Berlin over a formidable opponent.

While her clay campaign didn’t last long, with a first round exit at the French Open, Navarro’s quickly shifted her focus on grass. Last week, she impressed on the surface after entering the quarterfinal stage at the HSBC Championships. While she lost against compatriot Amanda Anisimova, Navarro’s confidence is sky high in this week as well. It becomes evident from her first round win over Marta Kostyuk. At the grass court championships in Berlin, the 24-year-old knocked out the Ukrainian with a thumping score line of 6-2, 6-3.

During an episode of the Tennis Channel live podcast, dated June 17, former WTA pro Coco Vandeweghe showered praises on Navarro’s clinical performance against the World No.26. Raving about the American’s stroke-making skills, she began, “She was really having a good time with that forehand. You see how long she had to be able to set up on that forehand wing, which is surprising against someone like Marta Kostyuk, who could really hit the ball pretty hard and heavy.”

Vandeweghe was impressed with Navarro’s adaptability on grass and her “transition game. She’s able to use a lot of different varieties. She doesn’t panic out there, which is something that’s so important out there on the grass court is keep yourself mentally strong.” Moreover, she went on to make a strong prediction, for the 24-year-old. Especially on the grass surface going forward this season, ahead of the Wimbledon.

“Emma Navarro is definitely one of those players that can stay mentally strong. She can start cracking that forehand, getting a lot of freebies off of that serve from time to time. She’s going to have another successful grass court run.” Well, Vandeweghe’s faith in the youngster’s potential becomes clear from her consistency on grass. How?

Emma Navarro’s grass court consistency explored

Back in 2023, Emma Navarro made her maiden appearance on grass at the WTA level with the Bad Homburg Open. In this event, she caught the attention with her dominant run that pushed her into the semis. Eventually, she lost to Katerina Siniakova but the world took notice of her skills on grass.

And guess what? Last season, too, she shined brightly at the Bad Homburg Open. Replicating her campaign from a year ago, Navarro went on to reach the semis before losing to Diana Shnaider. And then she channelized this newfound confidence on grass at the Wimbledon as well.

Surprising everyone, the 24-year-old succeeded in earning her first-ever quarterfinal spot in a major event. And it came with a fourth round win over Coco Gauff. After the match, Navarro said, “I wanted to play aggressively and push back against her game. I’m glad I was able to do that.”

Expressing her gratitude to the Wimbledon crowd, she added, “A tournament with so much history and tradition that so many legends have played on before me. Thank you so much for coming to watch. I can’t wait to play again.” Well, she’s just few weeks away from yet another campaign at the All England Club. It will be intriguing to see how she performs this time. But before that, Navarro needs to make a solid impression in Berlin.

After ousting Kostyuk, she will now face Spain’s Paula Badosa in the second round on Wednesday. What are your thoughts on Navarro’s prospects this week? Will she make a deep run in Berlin to get a morale boost ahead of the Wimbledon? Let us know in the comments below.