Emilio Nava on ‘putting the pieces together’ & what he learned from Carlos

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Nava on ‘putting the pieces together’ & what he learned from Alcaraz

Learn about the 22-year-old American’s journey

February 13, 2024

Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour

Emilio Nava is charging towards a spot in the world’s Top 100.
By Andrew Eichenholz

Emilio Nava was born to be an athlete.

The 22-year-old American’s mother, Xochitl, and father, Eduardo, met at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, where they competed in tennis and track, respectively. His brothers Eduardo and Diego were college tennis players and cousin Ernest Escobedo climbed as high as No. 67 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

That DNA shows in Nava’s game. The two-time ATP Challenger Tour titlist is a dynamic mover on the court who can crack the ball with any opponent.

“I feel like I have the puzzle in front of me, I just need to learn how to put the pieces together,” Nava told ATPTour.com. “And that gives me confidence that if I just keep going every week being positive and just doing what I have to do and competing. One week out of 52 in the year, it’s going to click. So I’m just looking for that one week and trying to do my best to have it be this week.”

Nava is a wild card at the Delray Beach Open, where Tuesday he will try to show his best game against Dallas finalist Marcos Giron. At a career-high World No. 144, he is moving closer to make his childhood dreams come true.

“I just wanted to play as a pro since I was a little kid. I knew I was athletic. My mom and my dad gave me those genes, so that’s pretty cool. I had two older brothers that were super competitive, Diego and Eduardo, and they always pushed me to be better,” Nava said. “I couldn’t beat them until I was like 15, 16, until I finally started beating them and I would rub it in their face a little bit. But I always knew I was tall, I was athletic, I was strong. I had good power. So I was like, ‘Let’s just compete and see how it goes.’”

Nava’s journey has been different from that of most young Americans, though. As the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, he was isolating at home with his family. When tournaments resumed, a teen Nava travelled to Europe because there were more events to play. He had connections with the Ferrero Tennis Academy and ultimately moved his base there, training under former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero’s team for more than three years.

“I knew I needed to make some kind of sacrifice and some kind of decision to see if I want to make it, to see if I’m able to make it,” Nava said. “I always felt and I always believed that that’s what I needed to do. I was never doubting my decision. I was always like, ‘This is what I want. This is what I’m going to do. And I’m going to get the most out of it.’”

The American loved his experience at the academy. Although Nava late last year decided to return to the United States — he is now based in…