Emma Navarro reveals health struggles as she skips Asian swing

Emma Navarro has disclosed a prolonged struggle with health problems that affected her energy, weight and emotions, and says she is missing tennis's Asian swing as she works towards next season. According to BBC Sport's report of her Instagram statement, the American described an improvement in her wellbeing after seeking specialist help and addressing years of insufficient fueling.

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Navarro said she was diagnosed with relative energy deficiency in sport, known as RED-S, towards the end of 2025 and later learned she also had Hashimoto's hypothyroidism. The 25-year-old described problems stretching back three years, a period in which her progress on tour had made it easier to overlook signs that something was wrong.

Her account set out a contrast between results and daily experience. Navarro said she lost about 14kg during 2023 and 2024 while her ranking and athletic performance were improving. She reached a career-high ranking of eighth in 2024 and made the US Open semi-finals that year. From the outside, her development appeared positive, but she said that did not reflect how she felt.

Even her first WTA Tour title, at the Hobart International, coincided with emotional difficulties. Navarro described unfamiliar levels of irritation, frustration and anger, along with persistent hunger. She said she tried to conceal those feelings while becoming increasingly bothered by mistakes, disruptions to her routines and interactions with others. Her statement explained that competitive success had continued alongside those private struggles.

The symptoms continued through 2025, when she experienced headaches, dizziness, fatigue, difficulty thinking clearly, anxiety and mood changes. She subsequently consulted doctors, nutritionists and other specialists and said she came to understand that she had been under-fueling for almost the entire period. BBC Sport reported that the health issues contributed to nine defeats in her opening 13 matches of 2026 and her withdrawal from Charleston at the end of March.

Navarro, now ranked 24th, won the Strasbourg Open in May for her first title in more than a year. While remaining away from the Asian swing, she said gaining weight this year had accompanied a return of energy for training, competition and life beyond tennis. Her immediate focus is recovery for next season.