Goodbye fans, I am leaving but promise to return back: Serena Williams American track and field athlete Announce

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Coach O’Leary mentions hard work, self-belief, and an unmistakable poise as other key traits possessed by Navarro. The traits were on full display over the last week at Wimbledon, where Navarro’s run to the quarterfinals included wins over Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff. She called it the best tennis she’s ever played.

That would include a NCAA National Championship as a freshman at Virginia. Navarro chose the ‘Hoos as the number one high school recruit in the country, and immediately made good on that promise.

“She came in and all she wanted to do was help elevate our program. It wasn’t about Emma and what can you do for me, she wanted to know how she could help the program and what she could do for her teammates,” reflected O’Leary.

Navarro began her pro career after her sophomore year in Charlottesville, but now she’ll finally get the chance to be on a team again. Navarro joins fellow UVA alum Danielle Collins on the United States tennis team headed to Paris for the Olympic Games.

Her former coach says she relishes that opportunity.

“She’s so pumped. She loves playing on a team, so this gives her another opportunity to play on a team. She’s looking at this as an honor.”

O’Leary says she won’t be alone: “Gina (UVA assistant coach) and I are actually going out to Paris. When you have two former women’s tennis players playing on the team at the Olympics, you want to be there.”