Emma Navarro Ends 2026 Season and Reveals Chronic Health Issues

WTA No. 24 Emma Navarro has had quite a few ups and downs this season, and she’s decided to sit the rest of it out. In a post on Instagram, the American player also revealed several chronic health issues and gave a timeline that explained how each one had affected her ability to compete.

Announcement on Instagram

On Wednesday, September 30th, Emma Navarro posted a 14-slide carousel on her Instagram account that delved deep into the player’s health issues, starting with this statement: “As you all may know, I have faced some health challenges recently. What you probably don’t know is that these challenges began almost three years ago.”

Navarro revealed in the next slide that she was diagnosed with Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), a medical condition in which the body does not receive enough energy for the demands of physical activity and daily life. The WTA player also explained that her RED-S was further complicated by a diagnosis of Hashimoto's hypothyroidism.

In the following slides, Navarro took readers through a timeline of her career from 2023 onwards and how her then-undiagnosed chronic illnesses affected her time on and off the court. “In November 2025,” Navarro said, “after meeting with doctors and nutritionists and various specialists, we figured out that I have been under-fueling for almost three years.”

In the final slide, the American player shared an optimistic outlook on her progress while also retiring for the rest of the 2026 season, saying, “I am taking the rest of this year to work on dialing in my medication and fueling protocols so that I can hopefully feel back to 100% again … I plan to be back on the road starting in Australia 2027.”

Navarro’s 2026 Season

Navarro took a break earlier in 2026 due to health struggles that were later revealed to be the hypothyroidism she mentioned in her Instagram post. The WTA player withdrew from the Charleston Open at the end of March and did not return until the Italian Open in May. She lost to Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the second round.

After her return and early exit, Navarro began competing at the WTA 125 level and had similar success. At the Strasbourg Open, her health seemed to greatly improve, and she won her third WTA title by defeating Victoria Mboko in three sets (6–0, 5–7, 6–2). The victory was also her second WTA 500 win.

At the Grand Slam level, Navarro was still somewhat underperforming with a second-round exit at the French Open and a third-round exit at Wimbledon. It was at the US Open that the American player had her best performance of the year, and she made it all the way to the quarterfinal where she was beaten by Jessica Pegula in three sets (3-6, 6-4, 6-3).

Navarro’s impressive performance at Flushing Meadows brought much hope to many of her fans, but they will have to wait a few months for her next on-court appearance.

Add us as a preferred source on Google