By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday September 3, 2024
New York—What does perfection appear like for Emma Navarro? Her longtime coach, Peter Ayers answered that query on Tuesday in New York.
Ayers, who has labored with Navarro since her junior days, says perfection isn’t a shot or a rating – it’s a mindset.
“One of many first occasions that we sat down collectively, you already know, going again to when she was 14 years outdated, and we alluded to this,” he mentioned. “So you are a perfectionist, most excessive achievers are, and it is a good high quality if it is utilized in a wholesome, sustainable approach.
“So I mentioned, here is what I would like you to attempt to be good at. I would like you to attempt to be good at bouncing again. Stuff’s going to occur. You are competing in tennis, like, there’s going to be adversity each time you play.”
We’ve seen that bounce again mentality from Navarro right here on the US Open. She went on walkabout and dropped the center set to Coco Gauff throughout her fourth-round battle with the defending champ. Slightly than dangle her head she held it excessive and reset to play a strong third set that acquired her the victory.
Ayers says that adversity is welcome in Staff Navarro. It’s not the top of the world, it’s a possibility to bounce again.
“When one thing antagonistic occurs, one thing detrimental occurs, you get a foul line name otherwise you break a string or the solar is in your eyes, no matter, experience, ‘Oh, that is nice. You understand, this is a chance to bounce again,’” he mentioned.
Navarro has been an ideal pupil for Ayers, embracing the mentality to, effectively, perfection.
“I feel it is simple to be powerful if you’re taking part in nice tennis and every part’s working effectively, and also you’re hitting all of your pictures effectively and issues are simply going clean, however I feel toughness is when you may proceed to go after your pictures and play aggressive tennis when some doubt creeps in and if you’re not one hundred pc certain about simply sure pictures or the way you’re taking part in,” she mentioned.
Navarro, who will play her maiden main semifinal in her eighth main look, had by no means gained a primary draw match on the US Open previous to this 12 months.
She rallied from 5-1 down within the second set on Tuesday to take out Paula Badosa, 6-2, 7-5.
“I feel it is the flexibility to not get discouraged by issues not going your approach or by you making errors,” she mentioned. “You understand, you are simply form of simply unfazed by the issues which can be taking place on the market, and simply the flexibility to maintain coming level after level, recreation after recreation and by no means hitting that restrict of, you already know, I’ve missed X quantity of this particular shot and I simply cannot take it anymore.
“Simply not letting that occur.”
